Before coffee aroma became part of the urban lifestyle trend,\nresidents of Tombo Village in Bandar District, Batang Regency, Central\nJava, were already familiar with this \u2018Black Gold\u2019.<\/p>\n
Its traces stretch back a long way, rooted in the Dutch colonial era,\nwhen Tombo coffee once penetrated international markets and became the\nbackbone of the local economy for generations.<\/p>\n
However, the wheel of time has turned. That glory slowly faded,\nbattered by fierce market competition and a shift in focus to other\ncommodities.<\/p>\n
Now, from the slopes of the Batang mountains, a wind of change is\nblowing again. The spirit to revive the identity and golden era of Tombo\ncoffee has been reignited, carrying a dual mission of economic welfare\nand environmental conservation.<\/p>\n
The history of coffee in Tombo Village is believed to have begun\nbetween 1800 and the early 1900s.<\/p>\n
The Dutch colonial government, equipped with geographical, geological\nand climatic knowledge at the time, considered the Tombo highlands\nhighly ideal for plantation cultivation. Besides spices such as nutmeg,\ncoffee became the main commodity developed there.<\/p>\n
After Indonesia\u2019s independence, plantation management was transferred\nto the state under PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) IX. Through the\nJolotigo Afdeling, which covered the Wonodadi and Tombo areas of around\n500 hectares, the Robusta variety, particularly the Tugusari clone,\nbegan to dominate.<\/p>\n
The peak came in the 1990s. At that time, Tombo coffee production\nunder PTPN was estimated to reach 100 tonnes and successfully penetrated\nexport markets in Asia and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, entering the reform era in the early 2000s, plantation\npolicy changed. The coffee plantation areas were replanted with tea. The\ngolden era of Tombo coffee seemed to end, its records began to blur, and\nits direct export footprint faded.<\/p>\n
Keeping the tradition in farmers\u2019 hands<\/p>\n
Although the large-scale plantations changed face, coffee never truly\nleft Tombo. Former plantation workers brought home the knowledge they\npossessed, from maintenance techniques and harvesting to post-harvest\nprocessing, to their own yards and independent gardens.<\/p>\n
It is on these smallholder plots that the Tombo coffee tradition has\nsurvived. The Robusta Tugusari clone continues to be maintained and\npreserved as a local identity. Although at that time its distribution\nchain was limited to local and regional markets due to the absence of\nvillage-based exporters, the community\u2019s passion for coffee farming\nnever died out.<\/p>\n
Today, a new strategy is being designed to restore the glory of Tombo\ncoffee, this time through variety diversification and an environmentally\nfriendly approach. Situated at an altitude of around 900 metres above\nsea level, Tombo is considered highly potential for Arabica coffee\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Through cross-sector collaboration involving the Tombo Village\nGovernment, the Forest Village Community Institution (LMDH), the\nForestry Service Branch Region IV of the Central Java Environment and\nForestry Office (CDK IV), and private sector support such as PT\nBhimasena Power Indonesia (BPI) \u2014 the operator of the Batang coal-fired\npower plant \u2014 a farmer capacity-building programme has officially been\nlaunched.<\/p>\n
This revival spirit is being realised, among other things, through a\nTechnical Guidance (Bimtek) session on Arabica Coffee Cultivation held\nat Pondok Sidawung on Tuesday (11\/8). The training is part of the\nSustainable Watershed (DAS Lestari) programme, which integrates\nimproving residents\u2019 incomes with ecosystem protection.<\/p>\n
\u2018From planting to pest and disease handling, it was quite clear.\nGoing forward, I will apply and understand it in managing coffee\nplants,\u2019 said Tarmujo, one of the farmer participants who\nenthusiastically absorbed the technical material.<\/p>\n
Tombo Village Head Mustajab welcomed the enthusiasm of his\nfarmers.<\/p>\n
\u2018Alhamdulillah, the farmers are very enthusiastic. Many questions\nwere raised and hopefully this knowledge will support the development of\nArabica coffee in Tombo while also having an impact on improving the\ncommunity\u2019s economy,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
As a concrete step, 5,400 Arabica coffee seedlings, including the\nLini S and Ateng Super varieties from Central Aceh, have been prepared\nfor distribution to 13 farmers across 27 plots of land ahead of the\nrainy season.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, this development does not damage forest functions. All\nplanting locations are on farmer-owned land outside forest areas. Coffee\nplants were chosen because they are classified as Multi-Purpose Tree\nSpecies (MPTS), namely plants with high economic value from their fruit\nwhile also having ecological functions to bind soil, prevent erosion,\nand maintain watershed stability.<\/p>\n
Weaving a collaborative future<\/p>\n
This development effort is assured not to stop at seedling\ndistribution and short training sessions. Regular mentoring will\ncontinue to ensure the seedlings grow optimally in the field.<\/p>\n
General Manager of Stakeholder Relations at PT Bhimasena Power\nIndonesia, Aryamir H. Sulasmoro, stressed the importance of the\nprogramme\u2019s sustainability.<\/p>\n
\u2018Support for the community is not only in the form of providing\nseedlings, but also how farmers\u2019 knowledge and skills can continue to\ndevelop,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n
Similar support has come from the Batang Regency Government. Head of\nthe Batang Regency Industry, Trade, Cooperatives and SMEs Office, Wahyu\nBudi Santosa, stated his office\u2019s readiness to facilitate legality and\nconnect farmers with buyers and exporters.<\/p>\n
\u2018We are working to facilitate licensing and to connect coffee farmers\nwith several export businesses and the Central Java Provincial\nGovernment. So far, Tombo coffee has indeed been exported to countries\nsuch as Malaysia and countries in the Middle East,\u2019 said Wahyu.<\/p>\n
This step reinforces that Arabica development is not intended to\ndisplace Robusta Tugusari, but rather to complement it. In the coming\nyears, diversification up to the Liberica variety is projected to make\nTombo coffee options even richer.<\/p>\n
The journey of nurturing and reviving the glory of Tombo coffee does\ntake time. Newly planted seedlings need a process to grow, be cared for,\nand ultimately bear sweet fruit for the local economy.<\/p>\n
But for the people of Tombo, coffee is no longer merely a sweet\nmemory of the past or just a harvested fruit. \u2018Black Gold\u2019 is a blend of\ninherited knowledge, an economy circulating in the hands of farmers, and\nan effort to keep the earth green for future generations. Today\u2019s small\nsteps are the initial foothold for weaving a more independent and\nsustainable future for Tombo coffee.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/reclaiming-the-glory-of-tombo-coffee-in-batang-1786586046", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }