Four Million Arabica Coffee Seedlings in Central Aceh Enter Final Certification Stage

Banda Aceh (ANTARA) - The Plantation Office of Central Aceh Regency has stated that four million Arabika 3 coffee seedlings produced by the Directorate General of Plantations at the Ministry of Agriculture in the regency have now entered the final stage, namely certification and the handover process.

“Four million seedlings at the SMK Negeri 2 Aceh Tengah nursery in Kala Nareh village, Pegasing subdistrict, are currently undergoing certification by the Aceh Provincial Seed Supervision and Certification Agency (BPSB),” said Sabrin, Head of the Central Aceh Plantation Office, when contacted from Banda Aceh on Wednesday.

He explained that the four million seedlings are part of a regular downstreaming programme for arabica coffee development provided by the Ministry of Agriculture for Central Aceh Regency.

“This certification is a very important step to guarantee seedling quality and protect plant breeders. The certification is carried out before the seedlings are distributed to beneficiary communities,” he said.

According to him, the distribution of the coffee seedlings, funded through the state budget (APBN), is targeted to reach beneficiary communities between September and October 2026.

Halwi, Secretary of the Central Aceh Plantation Office, said the seedlings will be distributed to farmers who have already been recorded and verified as beneficiaries.

“We want to ensure the distribution is carried out transparently and, most importantly, reaches the right targets. This seedling assistance will certainly greatly help farmers increase their production,” he said.

Halwi said the handover of the coffee seedlings is still awaiting the distribution schedule for all beneficiaries.

He added that the use of superior seedlings is one of the measures to increase arabica coffee productivity and improve farmers’ welfare.

The total coffee plantation area in Central Aceh Regency is 52,074 hectares, with production reaching 29,019.20 tonnes per year.

Arabika 3 coffee, also known as Gayo 3 coffee, is a national superior variety with Grade 3 quality (green bean), or for processed products such as 3-in-1 instant coffee.

The Gayo 3 variety, whose parent plants originate from Central Aceh and Bener Meriah in Aceh, has the advantages of fruiting quickly, being resistant to highland conditions, and having a high cupping score (84.75).