PRE-DESIGN OF A MICROGREENS PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN AN AQUAPONIC INSTALLATION WITH AN AEROPONIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM

• Main Author: Nur Khasanah, Septi
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/84371
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The increase in Indonesia's population in the last 2 years is quite significant. The population of Indonesia in 2021 was 272.68 million people, increasing in 2022 to 275.77 million people (BPS, 2022). The increase in population will have an impact on efforts to fulfill housing needs such as housing, shops and other public buildings. Thus, the number of land conversions is also increasing and causing land use competition between the non-agricultural sector and the agricultural sector, so that the amount of agricultural land is decreasing. Apart from the need for shelter, the need for food is also increasing (Prabowo et al., 2020). So, efforts need to be made to increase the productivity of agricultural land in terms of quantity and quality. As time goes by, people's interest in agricultural products is increasingly changing. Nowadays, people pay more attention to the nutritional value of the products they consume. One food that is quite popular among people is fresh food that contains lots of nutrients in the form of microgreens (Rokhmah et al., 2020). Microgreens are small vegetables that come from the seeds of various types of vegetables and only have cotyledons or the first pair of young leaves (Xiao et al., 2014). The main advantage of microgreens as a cultivated plant is their high nutritional content. According to research conducted by Xiao et al. (2012), it is known that microgreens have high amounts of nutrients and vitamins, reaching 4 - 40 times higher than mature plants. However, in running a microgreens business there are challenges that require innovation to overcome. One of the challenges is the appearance of fungus on the surface of the planting medium which causes microgreens to fall easily and rot. This can happen because the humidity level in the planting medium is too high and there is little air circulation (Salim et al., 2021). One environmentally friendly cultivation system that can be applied to increase the productivity of microgreens is the aquaponic cultivation system. Aquaponics is the activity of cultivating plants hydroponically along with cultivating fish via aquaculture (Effendi et al., 2015). The working principle of aquaponics is to utilize fish waste and fish food waste as nutrients for cultivated plants (Rahmadhani et al., 2020). Apart from that, aquaponics also uses cultivated plants as fish pond water filters and reduces ammonia levels which can interfere with fish survival so that they can be reused for fish farming (Wijayanti et al., 2019). In general, an aquaponic irrigation system supplies water to plant roots continuously. However, when combined with aeroponics, the provision of water is not carried out continuously but is regulated according to need. Aeroponic watering is carried out twice (morning and evening), each time for one minute through a nozzle that sprays water in the form of mist. Land kale plants have great potential to be developed as microgreens because they are rich in nutrients. In 100 g of land kale there are 29 calories, 3 g protein, 5.4 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fat, 73 mg calcium, 1 g fiber, 50 mg phosphorus, 2.5 mg iron, 6,300 IU vitamin A, 0, 07 mg vitamin B1, 32 mg vitamin C, and 89.7 g water (Ansyari et al., 2022). The type of fish that is often used in aquaponic systems is freshwater fish. One type of freshwater fish that is very popular with Indonesian people is tilapia. The advantages of tilapia fish are their attractive color and relatively faster growth compared to other types of fish. Within 5 months, tilapia can grow to weigh 120 grams (Andriany, 2018). Apart from that, tilapia is also a fish that can survive in brackish water and is more adaptive to disease attacks, and has a very high tolerance to various kinds of environmental stress, including salinity, temperature, pH and oxygen levels (Khairuman & Amri, 2013). Tilapia also has quite prospective business opportunities. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in 2021 tilapia production will reach 1.35 million tons with a value of 33.62 trillion (KKP, 2022). Based on the results of Biomass Production Research (Final Project 1), information was obtained regarding the use of appropriate planting media in the process of producing kale microgreens in an aquaponic system with an aeroponic irrigation system. The research results showed that perlite planting media produced microgreens with better quantity and quality compared to cocopeat and cotton planting media. R/C ratio analysis also shows that the use of perlite planting media has the highest value compared to the use of cocopeat and cotton planting media. A schematic of the kale microgreens production system can be seen in Figure 1. (PICTURE) The biomass production capacity produced from aquaponic cultivation is divided into 2 sub-products, namely microgreens kale and tilapia. There are 44 trays of microgreens whose planting patterns are arranged so that harvesting can be done every day. Microgreens production is carried out for 1 year starting with preparation for the first planting on January 1 and the first harvest on January 12. Within one year, harvesting is carried out 234 times (4 trays/harvest). Kale microgreens have a production capacity of 232.6 kg/year. Then, tilapia production was carried out for 6 months with two cycles lasting 1 year and had a production capacity of 151.9 kg/year. Overall, microgreens production has a total fixed cost of IDR. 229,620,000.00 and the total variable cost in the first year was IDR. 21,078,800.00, second year IDR. 24,240,620.00, second year Rp. 32,058,219.95, and in the fourth year IDR. 32,058,219.95. BEP analysis is used to see whether the income obtained can cover the entire production costs incurred. The results of the BEP calculation analysis show that to reach the break-even point (a condition of no loss and no profit), this business must achieve a production of 174.96 kg of microgreens and 114 tilapia fish. .26 kg. Meanwhile, the Rupiah BEP for microgreens is IDR 174,962,563.24 and tilapia fish is IDR 5,712,986.53. Thus, this pre-designed system will experience sales profits if the production of microgreens and tilapia exceeds the break-even point or BEP value that has been produced. Based on the calculations that have been carried out on the investment criteria in this pre-designed system, the PP (Payback Period), NPV (Net Present Value) and IRR (Internal Rate of Return) values are obtained. The PP value shows the time needed for investment returns. The PP value obtained is 0.6, so it can be said that it will take 6 months to recover all investment costs used in this pre-designed system. Based on the investment criteria, the Payback Period is still within the lifespan of the installation assets used, so this business is still feasible to run. The NPV (Net Present Value) value resulting from the calculation is IDR. 204,659,324.49. Based on this value, the investment costs incurred in this pre-designed system can be said to be feasible because the NPV value is> 0, so that the company does not experience losses due to the investment made. The IRR (Internal Rate of Return) analysis obtained from the calculation is 44.21%. Based on the results of these calculations, the IRR value obtained is greater than the interest rate applicable to this pre-design system, namely 6%. An IRR value of 44.21% means that the return rate for the microgreens business on the investment invested is 44.21%. Furthermore, the B/C ratio calculation results obtained a value of 1.63 ? 1. Therefore, it can be said that the investment used in this pre-designed system is feasible.