Beautiful Banda Islands save 'fruit of kings'
Beautiful Banda Islands save 'fruit of kings'
By Chris McCall
PULAU BANDA BESAR, Maluku (Reuters): A few centuries ago, one of Indonesia's distant and beautiful Banda islands was traded for Manhattan.
The key was a sensitive tree that produces two spices, nutmeg and mace, then two of the world's most valuable commodities. In a massacre in the 17th century, the Dutch killed most of the islanders to gain control of the nutmeg groves.
But the groves have been gradually going to ruin for decades. World prices slumped as plantations were developed elsewhere. Government firms marketing Banda's produce have twice gone bankrupt.
From half a million trees a few centuries ago, the number has plummeted to around 30,000.
And many of the trees left are now a century old, or more. There had been virtually no replanting since Indonesian independence in 1945 -- until now.
Indonesia's economic crisis provided an incentive to get things organized. The weak rupiah pushed the value of exports paid for in dollars through the roof in rupiah terms.
Both nutmeg and mace are prime export items. The local community has seized the opportunity to finally begin a replanting program and save nutmeg from dying out in its home.
Des Alwi, the 'king' of Banda, says nutmeg prices have soared from Rp 2,500 rupiah per kg to as much as Rp 40,000, and mace from Rp 4,000 rupiah per kg to Rp 70,000 rupiah.
Although not as valuable as when it was the food of kings, nutmeg is still widely used as a preservative. One big customer is Coca-Cola, which closely guards its secret beverage formula.
The nutmeg is an extremely fussy tree. It needs a tropical climate, volcanic soil and a light sea breeze to grow. The dried and ground down nut produces nutmeg. The red, waxy covering of this nut produces mace.
"It is the queen of trees. If you put a factory there, I don't think nutmegs would grow," said Alwi.
The Banda Culture and Heritage Foundation, a local group that Alwi heads, has struck a deal with the regional government, which owns most of the plantations on the islands.
They formed a new firm, PT Pala Banda Permai. Local people collect the fruit from the groves, where the delicate plants are sheltered by towering kenari trees. Half of what they collect is given to the firm, which also buys the other half.
Jailani Nurbati, head of Lonthoir village, likes the scheme.
"The people from here have the results," he said.
A replanting program has also started. Colonial records have been scanned to find which trees provide the best seeds. That can also be determined by looking for the droppings of the nutmeg dove, which instinctively searches for the best fruit.
Alwi says he has invested US$500,000 of his own money in the replanting project. The government earlier promised $2 million, but funding was withdrawn after the fall of former president Soeharto.
Dozens of seedlings are now sprouting in a nursery on Pulau Banda Besar. Some have already been transplanted.
Alwi points out that although there are nutmeg plantations elsewhere, those trees gradually get inbred.
"You use the same tree, the same seed in an area where the ecosystem is not correct. They degenerate. Banda does not represent much, but Banda is the original home. If Banda is finished, then there would be no more nutmeg in the world."
The Dutch occupied all of the Bandas in the early 17th century except the most outlying island of Run, which was held by the English. In order to gain control of the whole archipelago and thus dominate the lucrative nutmeg trade, the Dutch swapped Run for a Dutch possession in North America -- Manhattan island.
The fruit of kings is part of daily life here and Bandanese want to keep it that way. This rare fruit routinely makes it way into local cooking and even jam.
"We consider this our heritage because so many of us were killed because of this," said Alwi.