Rabobank Indonesia

8-7-2010 | Berita Pers

Rabobank Indonesia announced the recipients of the 2010/2011 Rabobank Postgraduate Scholarship. The program reflects Rabobank Indonesia’s commitment in creating high quality local business players in the Food and Agribusiness (F & A) sector. Rabobank Indonesia believes that initiatives in shaping the next generation of F & A entrepreneurs and professionals will also benefit to the growth and development of the entire F & A sector.

In 2009, the agriculture sector contributes around 14.4% to the country’s GDP. Hence, Rabobank sees the F & A sector are maturing and getting more competitive as shown by its support to Indonesia’s economic growth. This new reality requires a new breed of business players equipped with knowledge, various soft skills and awareness to the business potential in order to succeed in the market.

“This program enables entrepreneurs to gather more knowledge, sharpen their vision and strategy and assist others to push the potential of the F & A sector, as we see how this sector continues to deliver promising growth. The abundance of natural resources coupled with the potential growth of small and medium business are assets that certainly need our support,” said Rabobank Indonesia President Director Henk Mulder.

The scholarship is given to two SME entrepreneurs in the F & A sector to pursue a master degree in agribusiness management from the Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB). The participants had to pass various stages, including an administration process, a panel interview and the IPB acceptance test. Rabobank’s Postgraduate Scholarship considers a strong determination to complete academic endeavors as one of the main criteria in addition to entrepreneurship and business potential. The Rabobank Postgraduate Scholarship covers matriculation fee, tuition fee, and thesis fee over the 18-month study period.

The first scholarship’s receiver, Destinal Armunanto (24), runs a company focusing on natural rubber trading located in Tulang Bawang, Lampung. In addition to tapping its own plantation, the company is also partnering with 171 local farmers. His vision is to expand the business by building a rubber factory, which will employ more local farmers, and increase the economic value of rubber to generate more profit for both parties. The other receiver profiles a food and agri graduate that applies his knowledge into his business. Theodorus Widihasto Setyadiwicaksono (29) has been leading the catering service for five years in Bogor where he applies modern management and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

”Upon the completion of their studies, these talented and motivated entrepreneurs will add value by combining knowledge they gather from the class and hands on business experience. We expect them to be capable of creating new ideas and realize their business potentials as the F & A sector continues to play an important role in the Indonesian economy with its optimistic outlook and the market becomes more competitive with new entrants and more demanding consumers. As a bank with in-depth knowledge and expertise in the F & A sector, our initiative is not only limited to supporting them with access on higher formal education, but also in providing them with possible access on market insights as well as financing. We are surely open to discussing how we can assist them with access to global market insights from our Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) team” added Henk.

In support of Henk’s statement, Dr. Ir. Arief Daryanto, MEC, Postgraduate Program of Management and Business – Bogor Agriculture Institute Director said, "Looking further ahead, this market sophistication will place higher demands on entrepreneurs with applicable knowledge and innovation to ensure the sustainability of their businesses. We are pleased to partner with Rabobank Indonesia and ready to nurture F & A entrepreneurs who can meet these demands and drive our next phase of growth."