Green tea view in Mt. Menoreh remains a dream

Text and photos by Tarko Sudiarno

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Menoreh mountain range -- lying in the northern part of Kulon Progo regency, some 50 kilometers west of here -- is not known for a distinct characteristic apart from the danger of landslides that often hit the area.

The fertile Menoreh, cherished by the people of Yogyakarta, is mainly recognized for its mining potential and horticultural products. Unfortunately, the potential has not been optimally exploited due to a lack of human resources. Many villagers living nearby prefer to work in cities instead of becoming farmers.

The establishment of a tea plantation in Samigaluh district has highlighted the difficulty of introducing new commodities among farmers.

A 1988 feasibility study by PT Pagilaran, a company owned by Gadjah Mada University's School of Agriculture, indicated that a tea plantation was economically feasible in the district. The area is located 900 meters above sea level, has adequate rainfall and fertile soil.

In the same year, the company launched a trial tea crop in the regency. Local farmers were fully involved in the management of the plantation.

The main objective was to introduce the commodity to the farmers and provide both farmers and the company's employees with knowledge, skills and a business model to optimize the potential for success of the business.

PT Pagilaran's production director Rachman Sutanto said mass expansion of the plantation took place in 1990 through the Pembangunan Perkebunan Wilayah Khusus (Special Regency Plantation Development) program.

Through the program, the government provided farmers with ready-to-plant seedlings, means of production and operational expenses. The aid was only given in the initial year with the hope that farmers would be able to achieve self-sufficiency in following years.

The first step of the program began with cultivating the northern side of Menoreh's mountain range. It covered a total area of 745 hectares of land involving 1,795 farmers. In 1991 and 1992, a tea-processing factory, with the capacity to produce five tons per day, was established on the site. The factory specialized in the production of green tea.

The initial development showed good signs. The green tea production from 1993 to 1995 showed significant growth but, unfortunately, has fallen ever since.

The plantation site, as well as the number of farmers, decreased sharply to only 236 hectares and 883 farmers, meaning only 32 percent of the land and 49 percent of the farmers was left! It caused a sharp decrease in the supply of tea leaves for processing at the factory.

"Now, due to the lack of supply of tea leaves from the farmers, we have only been processing one ton of leaves a day, which produces 250 kilograms of dry green tea daily," Rachman said.

This was obviously not economically feasible as the company could only produce some six tons of dry green tea per month, far below market demand, which reaches up to 20 tons monthly.

"If it weren't for the objective of serving the community and maintaining the government's pride, both the plantation and the factory would have closed long ago," PT Pagilaran's production manager Harsoyo said.

He also revealed that a review study held last year showed that the plantation and the factory had to close down.

"But we turned it down as the business is considered the pride of the province and closing it down would have a high social cost," he said.

Harsoyo suggested that for the factory to continue, good cooperation between PT Pagilaran, local farmers and other institutions involved had to be created.

The reason why the business has not run smoothly is due to the fact that similar projects have also been conducted by other government institutions, using the same land and farmers.

"That is the reason why you can also find other plants among the tea on the plantation site. Different plants grow in the same place. Obviously, this is not healthy for the tea," he said.

Farmers also need to attend to the crops more, as tea plants require special treatment.

"This has been one of the obstacles in developing the plantation, but we understand that most farmers are old. The younger generation are no longer interested in farming. They prefer to work in big cities instead," Harsoyo said.

To keep both the factory and the business economically viable, the plantation management has to be improved. The plantation site, too, needs to be expanded. The company must have a supporting site of at least 50 hectares that is fully managed to secure the supply of tea leaves.

If the Yogyakarta administration still wants Menoreh to have similar prospects as Puncak, West Java, for tea production it must pay serious attention to the problem. Full support from the local community will give the Menoreh mountain range a greener outlook in the future.