The Tropical Fruit Research Institute, now BSIP, was officially established on 16 August 1984, with the main task of researching tropical fruit plants to improve fruit quality and increase value added.
This institution successfully registered the Sungai Tarab Durian as a new superior variety. This institution also succeeded in conserving 116 accessions of tropical fruit plants, producing 7,187 tropical fruit plant seeds, making environmentally friendly cultivation technology for tropical fruit plant production, and disseminating thousands of publications.
On 17 January 2023, this institution officially changed its name to Agricultural Instruments Standardization Agency or BSIP.
Lake Singkarak is a lake stretching across two West Sumatra, Indonesia districts: Solok and Tanah Datar. This lake has an area of 107.8 km² and is the second largest lake on the island of Sumatra after Lake Toba in North Sumatra. Lake Singkarak is upstream of Batang Ombilin River. In contrast to Lake Maninjau, which was formed due to volcanic eruptions, Lake Singkarak was formed mainly due to tectonic processes.
Lake Singkarak is a charming tourist destination with its outstanding natural beauty. Surrounded by green hills and an exciting landscape, Lake Singkarak tourism offers an enchanting experience of tranquility and stunning natural beauty. Several beauty spots that are worth visiting, such as Tan Kayo Syariah Eco Park and Dermaga.
The Tan Kayo Syariah Eco Park is a tourist attraction in Jorong Padang Laweh Nagari Malalo, South Batipuh District, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, and could be an option at the weekend. Its location directly opposite Lake Singkarak makes this tourist often visited by many visitors.
Dermaga Singkarak is a tourist/recreation spot which has been around for a long time and is always used as a venue for Balimau traditional events, the Eid al-Fitr holiday known as Pasar Ramai. The Dermaga is a tourist attraction that offers natural beauty in the form of the beauty of Lake Singkarak and is equipped with various supporting facilities such as tourist boats, children’s and adult games.
Jam Gadang is a giant clock tower that has already become an icon of Bukittinggi City, West Sumatra, Indonesia. This clock was built on 25 July 1927 and rises 27 meters high. Currently, the clock tower has become a tourist attraction with the expansion of the surrounding park.
The exciting fact of Jam Gadang:
It was built without cement and iron but used white sand, bricks, chalk, and egg white.
The numbers on the clock are written in Roman form. However, the number 4 is explicitly written IIII, not IV.
The roof has been replaced 3 times. Firstly, this four-sided clock tower had a cone-shaped dome roof. Secondly, the peak is decorated with a rooster statue and faces east. During the Japanese era, it was made like a Japanese temple. Thirdly, after Independence, the roof was replaced with a bagonjong model characterized by the Minangkabau traditional house roof.
The Jam Gadang machine is made by Vortmann Relinghausen from Germany. Jam Gadang and Big Ben London are similar in engines.
