Ancient resin still supports North Sumatrans<\/p>\n
By Diana Parsell<\/p>\n
BOGOR, West Java (JP): Once described by Middle Eastern
\ntraders as the "frankincense of Sumatra", benzoin (kemenyan) from
\nIndonesia has been sold for more than a thousand years in markets
\naround the world.<\/p>\n
The fragrant gum resin, produced by several species of Styrax
\ntrees, is used in incense, perfume and medicine and as a
\nflavoring agent. Yet despite its long history, the world has
\nknown remarkably little about this interesting forest product.<\/p>\n
Since 1996, researchers from several institutions have been
\ninvestigating benzoin (ben-zoe-een) production in North Sumatra,
\nwhere benzoin "gardens" have been cultivated for at least the
\npast 200 years. The scientists had heard that benzoin agroforests
\ncould still be found in North Sumatra, but they were surprised by
\nthe extent of that activity.<\/p>\n
"When we started exploring the region, we had no idea how
\nimportant the production was," said French researcher Esther
\nKatz. "We actually thought it was much smaller, and we were
\nsurprised to find out that about 100 villages were involved in
\nit." The scientists believe about 18,000 families, totaling as
\nmany as 100,000 people, in North Sumatra currently benefit from
\nbenzoin income.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian and international scientists are working at
\nseveral research sites under two projects. The Center for
\nInternational Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Bogor is studying how
\npeople change their reliance on various forest products as an
\narea becomes more developed or other opportunities arise. A
\nproject called FORRESASIA, funded by the European Union, is
\nanalyzing different ways in which farmers produce forest products
\nand what local conditions -- economic, social and cultural --
\nlead them to follow a certain approach. The findings should be
\nuseful to development agencies, non-governmental organizations
\n(NGOs) and communities who want to commercialize a forest product
\nor expand markets to improve income for local people, but need to
\nfigure out the best strategy for cultivating the product.<\/p>\n
Benzoin is an especially interesting case study for the
\nscientists, said Genevihve Michon, leader of the FORRESASIA
\nproject, which is being managed by the Institute of Research for
\nDevelopment (formerly ORSTOM) in France.<\/p>\n
"It's an outstanding example of true forest product
\ndomestication by farmers for a targeted production, for which
\ninformation was really lacking before the project started," she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Most benzoin produced today comes from North Sumatra and Laos.
\nResearchers Marina Goloubinoff and Mardan Saragih estimate that
\nNorth Sumatra now produces 3,000 tons of benzoin annually; about
\n75 percent is processed through Java and the rest is exported via
\nSingapore. Sumatran benzoin has suffered in world markets from a
\nperception it is inferior to the benzoin from Laos. Traders often
\nmix damar resin and other substances with benzoin, so the quality
\nvaries widely.<\/p>\n
Although once brisk, trade in Sumatran benzoin -- which still
\nclosely follows old trading routes -- has been steady but limited
\nin recent years. Falling prices have led to a considerable
\ndecline in output since the 1970s, which many farmers in North
\nSumatra recall as a "Golden Age". Prices and annual production
\nwere high, in part because Styrax trees that many people had
\nplanted to secure land claims during Indonesia's emerging
\nindependence 20 years earlier were then at their peak for
\nharvesting.<\/p>\n
Much of the domestic consumption of kemenyan was for incense
\nand for benzoin-flavored cigarettes. The traditional cigarettes
\nare no longer popular, but even industrially manufactured kretek
\nclove cigarettes are thought to have benzoin as a minor
\ningredient.<\/p>\n
Long history<\/p>\n
Historical accounts indicate that benzoin from Sumatra was
\ntraded by the Chinese as far back as the eighth century. One of
\nthe earliest records of its production came from a European
\ntraveler to Sumatra in 1772, who saw benzoin gardens in the
\ninland region where Batak people lived. More precise descriptions
\nwere given by Dutch foresters and administrators at the end of
\nthe 19th century. At that time, exotic gums and resins brought
\nhigh prices in the international market. Some benzoin farmers
\naround Palembang became so wealthy they could afford pilgrimages
\nto Mecca.<\/p>\n
In modern times as well, benzoin helped make North Sumatran
\nfarmers wealthier than other farmers. After Indonesia's
\nindependence, Batak families often used benzoin profits to fund
\nthe education of their children, many of whom became prominent
\npublic figures in the new nation. Income from benzoin is still an
\nimportant source of money for school fees in many households.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, the researchers found that a growing number of
\nfarmers in North Sumatra are abandoning benzoin cultivation. Some
\nare shifting to coffee, cinnamon and other more lucrative cash
\ncrops; others lament declining interest by young people.<\/p>\n
"Many of the young people now see it as an old-fashioned, has-
\nbeen activity," Katz noted.<\/p>\n
Yet some families maintain their benzoin trees as a form of
\nsecurity against hard times or because of tradition. "Some
\nfarmers told us their families have grown benzoin for four or six
\nor eight generations," said Carmen Garcia, a Ph.D. student at the
\nUniversity of Madrid who participated in the research.<\/p>\n
Most benzoin gardens in North Sumatra today are in forests
\ncolonized by Styrax trees, which usually grow at elevations from
\n800 to 1,500 meters. Two species of the tree are dominant in the
\nregion. In the past, benzoin trees were often grown in rice field
\nfallows that were later converted to agroforests.<\/p>\n
Symbolic Harvesting<\/p>\n
Tapping begins eight years after Styrax trees are planted, and
\nthe resin can be extracted for up to 60 years if done right. The
\nharvesting is done by farmers -- generally men -- who camp out in
\nthe forest for days at a time, returning to their villages on
\nweekends. Resin flows from tapped trees for several months each
\nyear and is collected two or three times. Harvesting methods are
\nstill linked with myths, the scientists discovered.<\/p>\n
"They think of benzoin trees as women and the resin as her
\ntears or milk," Katz explained. "Farmers believe they must treat
\ntheir wives well before harvests and refrain from coarse language
\nso the 'lady tree' will produce."<\/p>\n
The largest markets today for benzoin are Java, India and
\nArabic countries, where it is used widely for religious and
\nhousehold rituals. In the West, benzoin is burnt in churches, and
\nsome manufacturers use it to fix the aroma of volatile perfumes
\nor as an ingredient in medicine for respiratory ailments. Yet the
\nlower cost of synthetic substitutes has led many industrial users
\nto replace part or all of the natural resin -- posing a risk to
\nthe continued livelihood of thousands of growers and traders.<\/p>\n
One encouraging factor is the trend of growing consumer
\ninterest in exotic incense and "natural" products, the scientists
\nnote.<\/p>\n
More information about the benzoin industry, which has long
\nbeen secretive, also might help widen markets, they suggest.<\/p>\n
"Although profit margins are quite small, many people make a
\nliving, although not a fortune, out of this trade," Goloubinoff
\nsaid. "Each shareholder has part of the knowledge of the
\nindustry, and more information between the different levels would
\nhelp everyone."<\/p>\n
The author is a consulting writer-editor at the Center for
\nInternational Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Bogor, West Java.<\/p>",
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