USU PR — The Minister of Coordination of the Embassy of Japan, Takabayashi Hiroki, inspected the Compost Centre, Faculty of Agriculture (FP) at the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) on Friday-Saturday (Mar. 21-22)

The USU Compost Centre was established in 2009 with funding from the Japanese government. At that time, the Consulate General of Japan in Medan provided financial support to the USU Compost Centre for a TOT training program.

Vice Dean III of FP USU, Prof. Dr. Ir. Elisa Julianti, explained that in 2022, Dr. Ir. Nurzainah Ginting, M.Sc., a livestock lecturer, received the Itachi Award from the Japanese government. This prompted a revisit to the USU Compost Centre to evaluate its progress since 2009.

"Coincidentally, in 2022, Dr. Nurzainah Ginting received the Itachi Award from the Japanese government. They wanted to revisit the USU Compost Centre to see its progress," Vice Dean III of FP USU said.

Dr. Ir. Nurzainah Ginting, M.Sc., a livestock lecturer, emphasized that the USU Compost Centre's main product is bioactivation. This activator enables compost production without the need to purchase commercial chemicals. The goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in compost production, especially in rural areas with low-income residents.

"To make compost, we don't need to buy a bioactivator or commercial starter. I want us to be self-sufficient in many ways. Because we are a country with many low-income communities, especially in rural areas," explained Dr. Nurzainah.

To support the efficiency of the composting process, Dr. Nurzainah suggested that people make their own bioactivators because they have many benefits. These activators are also multifunctional and can be used as liquid fertilizers and disinfectants.

Research from FP USU shows that this product can suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as E. Coli, Staphylococcus, and Salmonella, thus improving livestock productivity.

Dr. Nurzainah hopes this product will become more widely known and used by the Indonesian community. She also hopes for more support and collaboration from relevant parties to advance the product.

"With this product, I hope more Indonesian people will use it. I hope for more visits and assistance. I hope for more collaboration and assistance. They have opened up. Especially if there is a partner for research, such as Bu Elisa. In the field of food technology," she concluded.