Coffee business perks up in Central Aceh

By Saidulkarnain Ishak

LHOKSEUMAWE (Antara): While most of the country whimpers and wails about the monetary crisis, Central Aceh's coffee growers have much to smile about.

Prices of java reached their highest ever rate in the past two months, and they continue to climb.

Granted, this occurred in tandem with an increase in prices of basic commodities in the district, hikes which are steeper than in other parts of the Aceh Special Region.

But the growers do not appear to be much affected because of their huge increase in income.

Owing to its abundance of arabica coffee, Central Aceh is now the biggest producer of this high-quality coffee in the nation and Southeast Asia.

The price of arabica has gone up by more than 100 percent since December, the highest increase in the district's history.

Aman Verry, who buys coffee from farmers for resale to retailers, said the unexpected windfall was considered an Idul Fitri "gift" by the residents of the Bukit Barisan mountain range.

Growers on the Gayo plateau have renewed motivation to tend their plants, he said.

Semidried coffee beans cost Rp 15,000/kg, from Rp 6,000 - Rp 7,000 previously. Export quality dried coffee beans are priced at Rp 26,000/kg, from Rp 10,000 - Rp 11,000.

"Every day I can purchase about 2,000 to 2,500 bamboos (containers of about 3.5 tons) of wet coffee from growers," said Verry, adding that the peak harvest would arrive in March.

Arabica coffee is the only cash crop for 250,000 people in Central Aceh. Nationally, coffee is the most important export commodity and ranks third in economic earnings.

Central Aceh -- better known as "Gayo land" and covering 5,722.48 km2 -- is the largest arabica coffee-producing area on the western side of northern Sumatra.

Its 32,750 hectares of coffee plantations produce 25,000 tons of coffee a year.

Arabica coffee plants are found seemingly everywhere in Central Aceh.

True to the name of the district capital, Takengon, or "the moment I see" in the local dialect, thousands of coffee plants are found on either side of the road leading to this town.

Virtually everybody in Central Aceh -- ideal for growing coffee at 900 meters - 2,400 meters above sea level, with an average temperature ranging from 19.7 degrees Celsius to 20.1 degrees Celsius -- has a coffee plot or plantation.

Arabica coffee plants grow on land around the houses. Local people fill their needs from their coffee yields.

These are the best of times for growers, now flush with cash.

"A coffee grower with 1,000 coffee plants, for example, can easily earn millions of rupiah from one harvest," said community elder Aman Ary.

"If the price keeps on going up, the grower can pocket much more money."

He said this made it even more important to prevent locals from being seduced by consumerism. They should realize that God's blessings must be used for beneficial activities.

There were signs some growers spent their earnings extravagantly when the money would be better used for their children's education, he added.

Another community figure, Aman Syuhada, said the Central Aceh community learned a hard lesson in the past of materialism's evils.

Heady after sharp price increase, growers became smug.

"Some of them used rupiah notes to make cigarettes. They forgot that all God's blessings must be used for useful things.

"They did not realize this until it was too late, when the price of coffee dropped and they had little left in terms of material riches."

The growers must be careful not to repeat the same mistake despite the intoxication of the flowing cash and bulging bank accounts, he added.

Some Central Aceh growers are managing to keep their feet firmly on the ground and give thanks to the Almighty for their providence as their fellow citizens flounder.

"We sincerely thank God for these price increases amid the monetary turmoil now besetting the entire country," said Mansurya, head of Pulo Tige village in Pondok Baru.