Agriculture Ministry Encourages Development of 'Gula Tumbu' as Alternative Sugarcane Product

The Directorate General of Plantations at the Ministry of Agriculture is encouraging the development of the gula tumbu industry as an alternative for sugarcane downstream processing to increase the added value of farmers’ harvests amid rising national sugarcane production. ‘Currently, we have a mandate to achieve sugar self-sufficiency. Sugarcane has been planted since 2025 and will continue. Here, farmers have conveyed that there is an alternative to processing into white crystal sugar, namely sugarcane brown sugar or gula tumbu,’ said Abdul Roni Angkat, Director of Seasonal and Annual Crops at the Directorate General of Plantations, during a visit to Rembang on Sunday. His visit was also used to inspect the gula tumbu processing facility owned by a partner farmer of the Perwira Cipta Mandiri Cooperative (KPCM) in Gegersimo Village, Pamotan District, Rembang Regency. He noted that the development of gula tumbu could be a solution to support the sugar self-sufficiency programme, especially in areas where factory capacity is still limited. ‘Not all sugarcane can be processed immediately by the sugar factory because its capacity is limited while waiting for the construction of new factories. It turns out that this sugarcane brown sugar also has a market, including for the soy sauce industry,’ he said. Abdul Roni appreciated the farmers’ innovation in developing gula tumbu but stressed that improving hygiene standards must be a primary concern if production is to be expanded. ‘The task of district, provincial, and central governments is to jointly improve hygiene standards so they comply with regulations. That is a priority,’ he stated. Head of the Rembang Agriculture and Food Service, Agus Iwan Haswanto, said the visit from the Directorate General of Plantations is expected to serve as a basis for formulating policies that are more favourable to sugarcane farmers. The directorate can also see first-hand the conditions of plantations in Rembang and hear the aspirations of farmers. The hope is that this will inform policy-making that benefits farmers. According to Agus, the main issue raised by farmers is the suboptimal readiness of sugar factories to absorb the harvest, even though sugarcane production is projected to increase through the ratoon stumping programme. ‘The most important thing is the readiness of sugar factories to absorb sugarcane production optimally. When the ratoon stumping programme is running and production increases, but the sugar factory is not ready, the results will certainly not be optimal. The hope is for a solution so that the enthusiasm of sugarcane farmers is maintained. One alternative proposed is the development of gula tumbu,’ he said. He explained that the selection of the Seed Garden in Gegersimo Village as the visit location was not specifically planned but rather adjusted to the work visit agenda of the Directorate General of Plantations in Central Java. The Rembang Regency Government is targeting the area to become one of the sugarcane production centres in Central Java. Currently, the sugarcane planting area in Rembang ranges from 8,000 to 9,000 hectares and is targeted to increase to 10,000 to 12,000 hectares as one of the requirements for establishing a sugar factory. ‘Our hope is that Rembang becomes a sugarcane centre in Central Java. If the planting area can reach 10,000 to 12,000 hectares, we hope Rembang can have its own sugar factory,’ he said. The Rembang Regency Government also hopes the central government will provide certainty on sugarcane prices, increase yields, and add support for facilities and infrastructure, including fertiliser assistance. In 2026, Rembang Regency will receive a ratoon stumping programme covering approximately 1,900 hectares. The programme includes seed assistance of around 60,000 buds with a budget allocation of approximately IDR 3.6 billion. Meanwhile, the owner of the gula tumbu processing facility and partner farmer of KPCM, Syued Hasyim, said the business, which was started in 2004, remains one of the centres for sugarcane brown sugar processing in Pamotan District. He noted that the main obstacle faced is high rainfall because the production process still uses conventional equipment. ‘During the rainy season, production is severely disrupted. We hope for modernisation of equipment so that operational costs are more efficient and we can use alternative fuels,’ he said.