One of the sectors that significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic was the poultry sector. Many turkey farms have gone bankrupt due to epidemics of transitional seasons, some have closed because they cannot afford the feed and there has been a drastic decline in demand for turkey and turkey meat. Some others are reducing the population of turkeys that are kept and following the market demand. The step in handling the economic impacts from COVID-19 pandemic on turkey farms is to reduce production costs.
Diponegoro University through the program of strengthening the leading commodities helps turkey farmers coed by the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Agriculture (FPP) to continue to exist and be productive during the pandemic era. Dr. Ir. Cahya Setya Utama, S.Pt, M.Sc., IPM as the chief executive of this activity stated that this turkey feed aid is the result of research in the campus which has been applied in the field to increase the growth and productivity of turkeys and may be the first time in Central Java. Turkey is a new livestock commodity in the City of Kudus which officially emerged in December 2019 through the inauguration of Central Undaan Village, Kudus Regency, to become KAMPUNG KALKUN. “We hope that the turkey breeders in the Central Undaan Village area will continue to be creative, enthusiastic and innovative during the pandemic and we are ready to assist for the success of the turkey breeders especially in Central Undaan and Kudus in general,” said the man with crew cut.
Ahmad Suyatno as the representative of FPP UNDIP coed farmers expressed his gratitude and welcomes this assistance and hopes that the Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Agriculture of UNDIP to always accompanies and provides an up-to-date information about turkey cultivation so that the progress of turkey farms in Kudus Regency can be realized. Hopefully the interaction between farmers and higher education institution will increase the knowledge and income of the community, especially the turkey farmers.
