Tangerang farmers just workers on their ancestor land<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
The sight of hundreds of hectares of paddy fields stretching as
\nfar as the eyes can see on both sides of the road always makes
\ntravelers forget the long ride to the northern part of Tangerang
\nregency.<\/p>\n
When it's time for lunch, the farmers gather in small huts in
\nthe middle of the fields and enjoy the view of the green fields
\nglowing in the sun.<\/p>\n
Although they feel attached to the land where they witnessed
\ntheir fathers and grandfathers work, most of the farmers in
\nSepatan district, the rice barn of Tangerang regency, cannot
\nclaim that the fertile land is theirs.<\/p>\n
"Well, it used to be ... My parents sold it in 1978 to a
\ncouple living in Jakarta. The new owner hired me to work on the
\nfarm. Now, we are just farm laborers, not land owners nor
\nfarmers," Mamat, 49, accompanied by his wife Sutinah, 40, told
\nThe Jakarta Post in a recent interview.<\/p>\n
As rural laborers, the residents are paid only after harvest
\ntime.<\/p>\n
"If the crop is good, I can receive up to Rp 500,000 (some
\nUS$49) from my employer for a rice field measuring 300 square
\nmeters," he said.<\/p>\n
The father of four currently works on three of the 300-square-
\nmeter rice fields which can be harvested three times a year.<\/p>\n
The laborers will have their second harvest season this year
\nprior to Ramadhan. They will resume the third planting season
\nafter the Idul Fitri holidays early in November.<\/p>\n
In the period between the beginning of Ramadhan and Idul
\nFitri, Mamat and his friends sell fruit on the highway.<\/p>\n
Sepatan district administration secretary Edi Purnama said
\nthat 60 percent of a total of 1,000 local farmers were rural
\nlaborers.<\/p>\n
"The local residents sold their land to finance their haj
\npilgrimage," he explained.<\/p>\n
"Luckily, urban residents who bought the land from their
\nparents still allowed them to work on the land and they receive
\nshares in the crops," he said.<\/p>\n
As most of the area is still cultivated as rice fields,
\nSepatan district stands out from among the other 25 districts of
\nTangerang regency in rice production.<\/p>\n
The regency's agricultural agency head Nana Mulyana said that
\nthe administration had zoned Sepatan as an agricultural area.<\/p>\n
In cooperation with a private institution in the Netherlands,
\nEGA, the administration built a Rp 5 billion modern rice mill in
\nSarakan village. The facility can process 50 tons of rice a day.<\/p>\n
Nana said that Tangerang produces up to 280,000 tons of rice
\nper year from 70,000 hectares of paddy fields, mostly in Sepatan.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tangerang-farmers-just-workers-on-their-ancestor-land-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}