BINUS Graduate Builds E-Business Empowering Local Farmers and Fresh Produce Consumers

Building on the cultural tradition of sustainability, democracy, and spirituality present to various degrees in different Indonesian cultures, one of BINUS’ central missions is to strengthen the Indonesian and international communities. This is why BINUS is proud to have its graduate of the Business Information System major of BINUS INTERNATIONAL, Michael Jovan, start TaniHub with his friends – an initiative bridging Indonesian farmers and consumers.

TaniHub is an e-commerce startup helping farmers improve livelihoods and making it easier for the consumers to shop fresh local produce. Tomato farmers often dispose of their crop as everyone harvests at the same time causing price dives. Further demotivating are price gaps of up to 900% between prices at which farmers sell and the prices at which end consumers are buying. Distribution channels are now heavily layered. Besides, to ensure produce is ripe when it reaches consumers, it is picked green with an effect on the taste and nutritional value. With the online platform, layering of the distribution channel is simplified, keeping end consumer prices lower and farmer earnings much higher. The startup also looks to collect data on supply and demand of commodities in all Indonesian provinces which will eventually enable producers to better forecast production and suppliers to control their stock.

Aligned with both BINUS and governmental efforts to impact development through ICT, the start-up was recently featured as a rising star at the Indonesia E-Commerce Summit & Expo held in April 2016. Michael, together with other graduates representing BINUS INTERNATIONAL and BINUS UNIVERSITY, was given the opportunity to chat with the president Jokowi Widodo. As cited from detik.com, the president openly mentioned a number of startups to his ministers to be assisted and guided towards success. Among them was TaniHub.