06 October 2025
Anonymous Writer
Lecturers from the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, conducted a community service program led by Prof. Dr. Ir. Elisa Julianti, M.Si, from the Food Technology Study Program, along with her team consisting of Dr. Ir. T. Irmansyah, M.P., from the Agrotechnology Study Program, and R.B. Moh. Ibrahim Fatoni, S.Pi., M.P., from the Agribusiness Study Program. This community service activity also involved three students from the Food Technology Study Program. The program, titled “Business Development of Al Hidayah Islamic Boarding School through Palm Sugar Processing,” was funded by the Directorate of Research, Technology, and Community Service (DRTPM), Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, through the 2024 Community Partnership Program (PKM) scheme. The partner for this program is Al Hidayah Islamic Boarding School, led by Ustadz Khairul Ghazali, located in Dusun IV, Sei Mencirim Village, Kutalimbaru District, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra, which focuses on education, social, and religious activities, as stated in the Ministry of Law and Human Rights Decree No. AHU-0042608.AH.01.04.2016.
Al Hidayah Islamic Boarding School provides free education for all students; however, until now, the foundation has only received limited government funding through the School Operational Assistance (BOS) program, such as textbooks. Therefore, the foundation initiated a business development effort to support its operations, including teachers’ salaries, student meals, and other school expenses. The available land is utilized to cultivate sugar palms and fruit trees, particularly Barangan bananas and durians, using an integrated organic farming system combined with goat rearing and freshwater fish farming. The foundation’s mission is to develop the sugar palm business as a means to sustain its free education program for all students.
Currently, Al Hidayah has about 1,100 sugar palm trees, but only 30 are productive, with the rest yet to be harvested. Daily tapping involves around 10 trees, producing approximately 100 liters of sap per day. The palm sugar production process still lacks proper facilities and food processing standards. The production process uses traditional tools, such as a cooking stove fueled by firewood and a large pan for boiling the sap. The firewood, sourced from trees around the boarding school, is inexpensive but environmentally harmful due to air pollution. Moreover, the resulting products, such as molded palm sugar and palm sugar crystals, are of poor quality — they are often dirty, have high moisture content, dark color, and inconsistent texture. Therefore, the USU Faculty of Agriculture Community Service Team provided assistance to develop palm sugar processing at Al Hidayah Islamic Boarding School.
The activity began with the provision of appropriate technology tools, including a palm sugar stirring machine, palm sugar powder drying oven, grinder, and sifter. This was followed by training on the use of the equipment. The program also included training and mentoring on sugar production technology to produce molded palm sugar, palm sugar crystals, and liquid palm sugar that meet SNI standards. Additional training was provided on sugar palm seedling cultivation and other fruit crops, as well as website development for product promotion and marketing. The students involved assisted in preparing Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) documentation for palm sugar, palm sugar crystals, and liquid palm sugar products, as well as in the process of product legalization (PIRT and Halal certification) and product packaging and labeling design.
Ustadz Khairul Ghazali, Head of Al Hidayah Islamic Boarding School, expressed his gratitude to the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, for the knowledge shared and the technology tool grants. He stated that these contributions are expected to improve productivity and income from the school’s palm sugar processing business.
Figure 1. USU Faculty of Agriculture Community Service Team with partners from Al Hidayah Islamic Boarding School, Kutalimbaru District
Figure 2. Appropriate technology equipment for palm sugar processing
Figure 3. Community Service Team consisting of lecturers and students from the Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Engineering USU with partners from the KPT Penatapan Farmer Group, Liang Muda Village
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