March 17, 2026 | 07:22 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Bank Indonesia Representative Office in Bengkulu has launched the "Wakaf Trendi" program, an initiative designed to empower Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) to manage competitive business units as a means of controlling inflation.
This year, the central bank has expanded the program's scope to include three pesantren as beneficiaries, a significant jump from the single pilot project initiated last year.
"Wakaf Trendi is part of Bank Indonesia's innovation to encourage productivity and empowerment within Islamic boarding schools," said Wahyu Yuwana Hidayat, Head of the Bank Indonesia Representative Office in Bengkulu, on Monday, March 16, 2026.
He explained that the program, standing for Trengginas, Edukatif, Mandiri (Agile, Educative, Independent), focuses on fostering food self-sufficiency among students. Through a digital wallet system, Bank Indonesia collects public funds which are then channeled to the schools to develop productive ventures in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Specifically, this year’s funds will support chili cultivation on two hectares of land at the Entrepreneur Hafidz Qur'an Islamic Boarding School in Kepahiang Regency. Meanwhile, the Al-Karim Islamic Boarding School in Bengkulu City will manage 400 laying hens, and the Abdurrahman Al-Fatih Islamic Boarding School will focus on hydroponic pakcoy and lettuce cultivation.
According to Wahyu, developing these business units is a strategic move to address production bottlenecks, particularly in the food sector. The vision is for these schools to move beyond meeting internal consumption to synergizing with the broader market to satisfy community demand.
He added that a key strategic target for this production is supporting national government initiatives. "In addition to the domestic market and the needs of the schools themselves, their output will be synergized to support the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG)," he continued.
Bank Indonesia remains optimistic that by promoting economic self-sufficiency, these educational institutions can bolster the public food supply. Surplus production from livestock, fisheries, and plantations is expected to be absorbed by the general market, helping stabilize prices.
Wahyu revealed that the realization of the Wakaf Trendi fund collection for 2026 shows a strong positive trend. To date, collections have reached Rp100,050,000, a drastic increase from last year’s recorded total of Rp33,000,000.
Previously, waqf funds were allocated to productive sectors via the Muhammadiyah network, focusing on livestock and palm oil. This year, with an average allocation of roughly Rp30 million per school, the central bank is prioritizing the expansion of production capacity at each selected institution.
"Although we have already surpassed one hundred million, this figure could still increase as the collection process remains open. These funds will be fully utilized to enhance the production capacity of these boarding schools," he concluded.
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