Farmers struggle to bring back citrus glory
Farmers struggle to bring back citrus glory
By Kartika Bagus C
KARANGANYAR, Central Java (JP): Those visiting the scenic
Tawangmangu resort in the 1980s would have sweet recollections of
the famous local citrus.
In the past, it would be incomplete for people frequenting
Tawangmangu to return home without the Tawangmangu citrus as
oleh-oleh (gifts) for friends and relatives.
The Tawangmangu oranges were highly priced for its sweetness
and large size.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Tawangmangu sub district was the
main jeruk keprok citrus producer in Indonesia. Plantations
covered thousands of hectares in Kemuning, Tawangmangu and
Kemuning villages.
In those years, the oranges were the pride of the Karanganyar
regency because it contributed significantly to the local
administration's coffers. Each kilo could then fetch Rp 8,000.
"1984 was our heyday, when the price of oranges rose to Rp
8,000 per kilogram. We could pick 20 quintals (2,000 kilograms)
in each harvest from a 2,500-square meter plot of land," said
Suwarni, 36, a farmer from Karangsari village.
Most farmers in Karanganyar enjoyed the sweet fruit of their
toil in those good old days. Another farmer, Djuwarno, 57, said
he managed to send all his four children to college thanks to the
good orange sales. He recalled that orange was the best selling
cash crop.
Why has the heyday gone? The Tawangmangu oranges largely
became history after a virus epidemic destroyed the priceless
trees in the late 1980s. Agriculture experts called the virus
CPDV (citrus phlegm degeneration virus). The plague destroyed
orange trees throughout Karanganyar.
The virulent virus affected the leaves and roots of the trees.
The infected trees would wilt in less than two weeks, then die.
This airborne virus spread quickly.
The virus plagued the orange trees for three consecutive
years. Efforts to eradicate the virus ended in vain because it
had affected a vast area concurrently. Besides, the virus was
relatively unknown and the pesticides available were not
effective.
Few trees survived the calamity, especially those in farmers'
gardens. Farmers then began to replace the orange trees with
other cash crops such as paddy and vegetables.
Orange farmers were traumatized by the virus epidemic. For
years they refused to plant oranges.
But the virus was not the only reason for the vanishing
Tawangmangu oranges. The development of recreational facilities
such as motels and inns that ate away agricultural land, were
also to blame.
Some farmers built recreational facilities such as inns on
their land because it appeared more profitable than planting
citrus. Others sold their properties for economic reasons.
Has the Tawangmangu citrus completely become something of the
past?
"No, it's not extinct yet. Each family still has one or two
citrus trees but they do not produce as much or good quality
fruits as before. They now costs only Rp 2,000 per kilo," says
Suwarni.
In fact people in Tawangmangu are longing for the day when
orange trees will once again be their golden goose.
"We are trying to plant them again on a large scale," says
Djuwarno, a farmer.
Apparently Djuwarno is not the only one who is dreaming of
replanting the famous citrus. Farmers who once lived a prosperous
life, thanks to the plant, share the same dream.
Their wish has received positive response from the Karanganyar
agriculture office, which has begun a seedling project for 150
hectares of land earmarked for citrus plantations.
"We have been trying to restore the land by burning down the
remains of citrus trees that had been infected by the virus,"
says Indarto, an official at the agriculture office.
The government's efforts have gained popular support. The
project would not only be good for farmers but would also make
Karanganyar regency greener.