Forewords from the Rector of Bandung Institute of Technology

Located in the tropical climate zone, Indonesia is blessed with the mega-biodiversity spreading over its vast archipelago. This mega-biodiversity is undoubtedly serving as invaluable resources for innovation of novel crop and food, and development of alternative eco-friendly materials for the future. Banana is one of the most important food for the locals in numerous islands, with many of the cultivars are endemic to Indonesia. Throughout Indonesia’s history, bananas, as agricultural commodities, have played an important role as national food supplies, as well as commodities with high economic value. However, cultivation and processing of banana based products in Indonesia are still hampered by the low knowledge and technology used. This is obviously very detrimental due to the significant reduction in the country competitiveness in global trade. In addition, conservation efforts will be more effective when conducted with the application of comprehensive science and technology, including in the cultivation and processing of banana products.

The optimal utilization and preservation of Indonesia mega-biodiversity, such as various banana cultivars, should be facilitated by the nation’s intellectuals who are the forefront of science and technology. Hence, we fully support the establishment of “Bali International Research Center for Banana (BIRCB)”, an excellent initiative between Institut Teknologi Bandung and Udayana University. This research center is expected to strengthen the collaboration in banana based research and innovation, involving academics, industries and governments in Indonesia and globally. Furthermore, we hope that BIRCB would become a science and technology incubator, which results could be adopted to optimize the utilization and preservation of Indonesian biodiversity in general.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge all those who have encouraged the founding of “Bali International Research Center for Banana (BIRCB)”, with the hope that BIRCB could continuously advance the development of cultivation and processing of banana products in Indonesia.

Rector of Bandung Institute of Technology,

Prof. Dr. Ir. Kadarsah Suryadi, DEA