Semarang – Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) conducted a collaboration with the Badan Karantina Indonesia in the “Barantin Goes to Campus” event with a theme “Quarantine Safeguarding the Nation” on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. The event, featuring a public lecture and interactive dialogue with Barantin, attracted an enthusiastic turnout of 399 students from the Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences (FPP) and the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) at the Prof. Sudarto, S.H. Building, UNDIP Tembalang Campus.
Barantin Goes to Campus is a strategic initiative by Badan Karantina Indonesia to strengthen synergy with academia, particularly students. UNDIP is one of ten state universities targeted for this initiative.
Moderated by Megy Lidya, a presenter from TVRI Jawa Tengah, the event was lively and engaging, featuring notable speakers, including Dr. Drama Panca Putra, S.H., S.Pi., M.Si., Deputy for Fish Quarantine at Barantin; Riyono, S.Kel., M.Si., a member of Commission IV of the Indonesian Parliament from the PKS faction; and Prof. Sugiharto, S.Pt., M.Sc., Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences UNDIP.
In his speech, Prof. Sugiharto expressed gratitude for the opportunity to host Barantin Goes to Campus (BGTC) at UNDIP, involving both the Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences. He hoped UNDIP students would be prioritized in future Barantin recruitment processes.
During his presentation titled “UNDIP Together with Quarantine Safeguarding the Nation,” Prof. Sugiharto highlighted the achievements of the Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences, including its ranking among UNDIP’s top three faculties according to QS WUR 2023, placing 351st globally and first nationally in its category. Additionally, all seven study programs in the Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences have earned the highest national accreditation (BAN-PT), with four internationally accredited.
“Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences boasts numerous facilities, such as Teaching Farms, Poultry Close Houses, Greenhouses, and the university’s sole molecular lab. With our vision of being a Research and Entrepreneurial Faculty, we aim to produce not just top researchers but also entrepreneurial graduates,” he stated.
“We are very confident that we can collaborate with Barantin later. Hopefully, it can support each other for both parties. Our faculty has done a lot of cooperation that has been established with many places, including foreign universities, government institutions, and companies,” said the Dean of the Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences.
Meanwhile, in a public lecture, Dr. Drama Panca Putra explained the introduction of Badan Karantina Indonesia as one of the Non-Ministerial Government Institutions (Lembaga Pemerintah Non-Kementerian / LPNK) under the President of the Republic of Indonesia. The duties and functions of Barantin include supervision of the safety and quality control of food and feed from animals, fish and plants and their products.
He also stated the importance of establishing collaboration and support with academics in efforts to organize research, science, and quarantine technology, as well as improving the competence of human resources, which is the key to the organization’s success.
“As a new institution, Barantin needs human resources, and seeing UNDIP is not an ordinary university where, in the future, it has the potential to recruit into the ranks of quarantine men/women. It is hoped that students will be interested in joining Barantin so that they can become guardians of food sovereignty and the sovereignty of our nation with the hope of being able to provide more changes to the Republic of Indonesia in the future,” said Drama Putra.
Furthermore, Riyono, S.Kel, M.Si., as a Member of Commission IV of the DPR RI, said that he was an alumnus of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) UNDIP in 1998 and underwent a Masters in Agribusiness concentrating in coastal areas and a Doctorate in Marine Science at UNDIP. He also wanted to invite the UNDIP network in the center to be stronger in order to synergize and collaborate to build Indonesia.
“This BGTC activity is part of an effort to collaborate on how UNDIP and Barantin will oversee the national food self-sufficiency program, which is the ideal of the President of the Republic of Indonesia,” he explained.
Legislative policy support continues to be sought to strengthen the role of the Badan Karantina Indonesia. “Barantin is expected to be the leading border to protect and guard our country from anything that enters, be it food products, animals, fish and plants, so that they are safe and protected from various diseases. Students can also become agents of change who help socialize the importance of quarantine in maintaining the quality of food products and biosafety,” said Riyono.
With this activity, collaboration and joint support will be established among the UNDIP academic community and Barantin in order to organize quarantine research, science and technology for the sake of a sustainable future for the nation. (DHW)
