Switching strategy as an effort to survive during the pandemic (business in the citrus plantation sector)

The agricultural sector has an important role in national economic development because of the abundant potential of natural resources and can support economic growth in rural areas. According to the Center for Agricultural Data and Information Systems, the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture in 2020 stated that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the agricultural sector in Indonesia has proven to be a mainstay in stabilizing the country's economy. Until 2020, Bocek Village is the only village in Karangploso District, Malang Regency that does not yet have a Village-Owned Enterprises (VOE). With the Doctoral Service Program (Program Doktor Mengabdi), Bocek Village has established VOE in 2020. The DSP program in Bocek Village aims to create jobs and improve community welfare. The DSP program which is under the auspices of the Institute for Research and Community Service (IRCS) Universitas Brawijaya, is expected to be able to produce Leading Assisted Villages for the development of the agricultural and agro-industrial sectors in Bocek Village. The implementation of the DSP Program in Bocek Village has entered its 2nd year (2021) with a focus on strengthening the role of VOE in developing the community business sector. The team of DSP plans community service activities in the form of strengthening Bocek VOE in agricultural, agro-industry clusters and dissemination of technology and information. An alternative solution for the Bocek VOE business unit is to create a derivative product from citrus fruits, namely orange juice. The raw material for orange juice is the result of the process of sorting ripe oranges that have fallen to the ground. Marketing of citrus fruit juice products is planned by opening a Marketplace that can reach a wider target market. In addition, the potential for online sales can now be said to be more profitable than conventional because it has been supported by the rapidly growing digitalization transformation making online sales and marketing more profitable.

Evaluation of il-6 levels in covid-19 patients whit smell disorders

Smell dysfunction is one of the most frequent symptoms in COVID-19 patients. In the early stages of the disease it allows to identify positive subjects. The odorous substances recognize two different systems in the olfactory epithelium: the olfactory and the trigeminal systems that coexist and interact in the processing of sensory information. In COVID-19 patients there is an inflammatory reaction of the nasal mucosa. Infected supporting cells of the nasal mucosa release molecules that activate the local antiviral innate immune response. In fact, macrophages spread inflammatory mediators, in particular TNF-η , IL-6 and IL-1. In this study we compared IL-6 levels with the degree of olfactory disorders and with the type of unperceived odour.Materials and methodsFrom 15 March to 30 November 2020 have been selected 82 patients (45 men age 62.3 ±14.2 and 37 women age 57.1± 12.8) with only smell dysfunctions were divided into mild and moderate patients. The evaluation of the smell disorder was carried out with a 14 questionnaire relating to the perception of domestic odorous: 6 questions for olfactory sensitivity (own perfume usually sprayed, oregano, olive oil, nutella, coffee aroma, orange juice) and 8 for olfactory-trigeminal sensitivity (alcohol, fish odor, vinegar, mint (gum), toothpaste, shampoo, cheese, ammonia).The IL-6 (v.n. 0 - 7 pg/ml) was measured with chemiluminescence assay using Cobas e801 (Roche Instrumentation). Statistical analyses were performed with Wilcoxon Rank test, and Mann-Whitney test (p <0.05). ResultsThe trigeminal and olfactory sensitivity are more compromised in moderate than mild patients (p <0.05). The statistically significant differences there were in IL6 levels in moderate versus mild patients when there was an impairment of trigeminal sensitivity (p <0.05). Conclusion In this study suggested that the smell disorders in Covid-19 patients couldn't be a deficit of the olfactory central nervous pathways but could be rather than mainly associated with the inflammatory process of the nasal mucosa and that deficit of the type of domestic unperceived odour ('olfactory' or 'trigeminal' sensitivity) could indicate the degree of severity of the disease.

An analysis of consumers' preferences for orange juice in India during COVID-19

Boosting the immune system's response through better nutrition has been suggested as a coping strategy to help fight COVID-19. Among other food products, orange juice, a rich source of Vitamin C, has been in huge demand in India since the outbreak of COVID-19. Panic buying has further added to this increased demand for orange juice. Using data collected through online surveys, this paper applies both conjoint and market simulation analysis to study consumers' preferences when purchasing orange juice. Nine important product attributes (flavour, preservatives, sweetener, brand, taste, pulp concentration, container, production method of orange and price) as well as different levels for each attribute are considered for the analysis. Among the selected attributes, relatively respondents gave more importance to the 'method of production' of orange, followed by 'brand', 'pulp concentration', 'sweeteners', and 'preservatives.' The market simulation analysis showed that a new product with the desired levels (high mean utility values) across the selected attributes would stand to enjoy a market share of around 32 percent. These findings support product differentiation as a strategy by firms in the food processing sector under conditions of intense competition.