Spatial-based multicriteria decision-making model for coconut sugar agro-industry location selection: A case study at Indragiri Hilir District, Riau Province, Indonesia

Abstract

Coconut has become a major agricultural commodity because of its significant economic multiplier effects on people in the Indragiri Hilir District, Riau Province, Indonesia. One of the superior coconut products is coconut sugar, which may serve as a healthier substitute for conventional sugar because it has a lower glycemic index. Developing coconut sugar in the agro-industry certainly requires spatial mapping that best fits the criteria of sustainable agro-industry. Therefore, a spatial-based multicriteria decision-making model is required to select the best locations for product development. The integration between geographic information systems (GIS) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to acquire the target. It is relatively easy to handle various criteria with spatial and non-spatial data and balance qualitative and quantitative data. The results showed that the criteria contributing to selecting the location for the coconut sugar agro-industry included economic, social, environmental, technology, and infrastructure. Tembilahan Hulu and Kuala Indragiri became the most potential locations relevant to the analysis results. This work provides significant input and data for local governments in constructing policies related to the development of the coconut sugar agro-industry.