SIG Transforms Cow Waste into Blessing, Involves 879 Women in Blora
BERITA TERBARU INDONESIA, JAKARTA — PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (SIG) has transformed cattle waste into an economic boon for the community in Blora, Central Java, by involving 879 women in the area. The Corporate Secretary of SIG, Vita Mahreyni, mentioned that this effort is carried out through the Bumi Kartini Program (Sweet Fruit of Women’s Agricultural Work) run by PT Semen Gresik, a subsidiary of SIG in Ngampel Village, Blora.
The Bumi Kartini Program was launched by PT Semen Gresik in 2021, focusing on backyard farming, processing cow waste into organic fertilizer, and waste banks in collaboration with local BUMDes and PKK (Family Empowerment and Welfare).
“This social innovation, focusing on environmentally-based women’s empowerment, executed in collaboration with the Ngampel Village Government, has helped 879 members of the Bumi Kartini group improve their family economy while preserving the environment,” Vita stated in a statement in Jakarta, Wednesday (23/7/2025).
She noted that Bumi Kartini represents the company’s concern for social and environmental issues through the circular economy, strengthening women’s empowerment with environmental skills and better quality of life.
The program yields an average of 1,405 kilograms of vegetables per month from a total of 9,324 hectares of residential yards, including cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, passion fruit, water spinach, carrots, long beans, green beans, pak choy, lettuce, mustard greens, and bitter melon.
Besides personal consumption, the harvest is also marketed directly and in derivative forms such as eggplant jam, bitter melon chips, eggplant chips, and passion fruit syrup.
Successfully tackling pollution through cow dung waste management, the village waste bank plays a role in collecting and managing inorganic waste based on type, including waste utilized as alternative fuel for cement production.
In 2024, Bumi Kartini recorded a reduction of cow dung waste by 98.2 tons and prevented methane gas emissions by 1.64 tons CO₂ equivalent per year.
Economically, Bumi Kartini increased the average income of its group members by up to Rp 6,480,000 per year and added income for livestock group members by Rp 4,800,000 per year.
Additionally, there are savings on vegetable shopping costs per family of up to Rp 13,185,000 per year, and fertilizer cost savings of Rp 4,340,000 per family per year.
Nikmatus Zahroatin, the Bumi Kartini coordinator and head of the PKK of Ngampel Village, stated that the Bumi Kartini program marks a turning point for Ngampel, which was once arid and hard to cultivate, now able to produce vegetables thanks to the intensive guidance from PT Semen Gresik.
Nikmatus recounted her initial involvement when she saw the potential of the wide yet unproductive residential yards, then facilitated by the company with planting media, seeds, and training.
The condition of the Lusi River tributary, which was once polluted by cow dung, is also addressed through collaboration with BUMDes and Posyantek by converting livestock waste into useful compost and biourine.
“Assistance and mentoring have been ongoing since 2020, never ceasing. May this cooperation grow stronger for mutual benefit,” said Nikmatus.
