Durian plantation

If I write about a coffee, tea or cashew plantation, the reader of this letter would think it nothing new, but if I write about a durian plantation then it is really something.

An affluent conglomerate led by Mr. Hartawan (not his real name), prefers to keep a low profile. As is the case with many other conglomerates, they have the uncanny ability to choose which line of business will be profitable, and I believe that this durian business is expected to produce a good profit.

Mr. Hartawan came upon this idea when he visited Thailand because Thailand's durian is better in quality than Indonesia's durian. It tastes more delicious, has small seeds and an abundance of flesh.

Mr. Hartawan used to be an ardent golfer but no longer plays the game because inspecting 10 hectares of his durian plantation is healthier than playing eighteen holes of golf. Mr. Hartawan does manage his plantation in an efficient and modern style by employing two qualified experts who graduated from Bogor's prestigious Agriculture University.

The only nuisance of such a plantation is the codot (fruit eating bat), a nocturnal enemy which always tries to harvest the fruit without the owner's consent. This conglomerate estimates the end of the year harvest and many prospective buyers have already expressed their eagerness to purchase the durian. No wonder durian is called the king of fruits.

Mr. Hartawan's durian plantation has a high fence around it because besides the real fruit eating bats, there are also human bats that also want to reap what they have not sown -- to use a biblical phrase.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta