Toward Prosperity

Program called 'Mosque Gaharu' was launched nationally by the Forestry Minister, Malam Sambat Kaban, at Masjid Al-Fauzien, Depok, 14 September 2008. Development of sandalwood cultivation in the mosques is initiated by the DMI in Depok and Research Centre of Applied Geography (PPGT-Faculty) University of Indonesia (UI).
Cultivation begins from Depok area and will be developed in various other regions of Indonesia through the Indonesia Cooperative Economic Empowerment mosque.
Sandalwood cultivation to anticipate this kind of extinction timber in Indonesia. Aloes extinction caused mainly by two things.
First, aloes wood harvesting techniques and there is no certainty whether or not the resin in the wood of aloes.
Second, because the demand is always high eaglewood naturally result in reduced supply. Agarwood is generally found in forests in the forest region of Papua, Borneo, Halmahera, NTB, NTT, and Sumate
Economic value
Aloe wood has a high economic value. There are six classifications of aloes wood prices - depending on the quality and age of gaharu resin produced - the cheapest price from Rp 100,000 per kilogram up to Rp30 million per kilogram. Gaharu resin demand is increasing every year. Countries that import a lot of aloes is India China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Research Center for Applied Geography (PPGT) University of Indonesia to develop technologies gaharu seedlings through tissue culture technology. The institute is also developing technologies for the serum injected into the tree aloes.
Engineering pattern describes as isokulasi fungus is made after a 5-year-old aloe. Mold injection technique into the wood of aloes is so that the tree is infected and likely to produce resin after one to three years later.
Agarwood can be cultivated in the lowland area with a height of not more than 750 meters from the tropical sea. If the area can grow hardwood trees such as rambutan, mango, jackfruit, durian, and the like, the wood of aloes will grow well when it is developed on the land.
DMI Depok City will cooperate with other mosques in Indonesia for the cultivation of aloes. In addition to having economic value, the program also deals with the greening of the environment and improve water infiltration to the life of the community.
Pemberdayakan aloe cultivation is part of economic prosperity of the mosque in an effort to improve the welfare of the mosque and surrounding communities. In fact, when berkembangan well, farming can be a leading agribusiness Agarwood Indonesia, but because the market is quite large, also wood Agarwood has entered in a state endangered species.
Welfare
"Eaglewood Mosque" is one of the DMI program in Depok. Other economic development based on the mosque, including the construction of mini-networks, the establishment of Islamic financial institutions (Baitul Maal wattamwil-BMT), and other economic activities.
Economic activity of this mosque will be integrated through a system of Internet-based information technology, economic institutions so that the mosque can communicate, interact, and transact. The concept of economic development networks mosque called "Mosque Incorporated" This could be the economic power of the people.
With these networks, the products of micro and small communities can be marketed more widely, in addition to the network of mosques economy will have greater bargaining power with manufacturers so as to obtain a product with a cheaper price.
While BMT for financial institutions, through networking, among others, can do a transaction-a kind of "clearing" between BMT. Islamic microfinance institutions can be integrated perbankans yariah channeling agent in Indonesia because it has a wide range.
With the economic development of the mosque, the mosque except to prosper, will also be able to create jobs, grow the independent entrepreneur, entrepreneurs, and increase income people, which means it can improve the welfare of the people of Indonesia.
So, let's start kesejahteaan improvement of society through the economic approach to the mosque. Start of what can be done first. This is the solution to our nation's problems.
(Mustafa Edwin Nasution, Ph.D,)