Pepper not so hot but locals see shiny future in tin
Pepper not so hot but locals see shiny future in tin
Antara, Pangkal Pinang, Bangka-Belitung
Known as the biggest producer of white pepper in the world for
centuries, business on Bangka-Belitung island is now far from
fiery as locals instead pin their hopes on tin.
Some 70 to 80 percent of the world's white pepper supply comes
from the province. A trademark variety, Muntok White Pepper
(MWP), is renowned the world over.
From corner to corner, the island is planted full of pepper
fields, which have contributed much to the welfare of the Bangka-
Belitung people.
It is not surprising to see large houses full of modern
gadgets sitting in traditional villages -- they are monuments to
the success of white pepper, called sahang locally.
However, prices for the spice are no longer hot, and the glory
days of pepper seem to be over. Selling at a paltry Rp 17,000
(US$1.80) a kilogram in October, the price has plummeted from
about Rp 100,000 a kilogram a few years ago.
The low price means farmers have started looking for
alternatives and have found them in tin; with a little help from
the government. After state miner PT Timah streamlined its
operations, the local administration has assisted smaller private
miners to set up business.
With a price reaching Rp 35,000 per kilogram, farmers are now
flocking to mine tin, leaving pepper farms on the island
neglected or turning them into mining sites.
"It's a waste to cultivate pepper now because the price is not
proportional to maintenance costs," said Hambali, a pepper farmer
from the Air Bara area.
With start-up working capital of only Rp 15 million a tin mine
unit, it is not long before miners reach break-even point.
"I'd rather open a tin mine. The returns are quick, especially
now when the cost of living and the children's education fees get
increasingly higher," said Ismail Muridan, a farmer in Toboali,
South Bangka, who has grown pepper for more than 20 years.
The move to tin is quickly reducing the size of pepper
plantations in the province and production figures this year are
expected to be significantly lower.
In 2002, pepper was planted in over 63,000 hectares of land,
but a year later the area had dropped 5 percent to just over
60,000 hectares.
Total pepper production also dropped 3.4 percent to 31,556
tons last year from 32,611 tons in 2002, the province's
Plantation Office chief, Hutamarrasyid, said.
In order to keep the island's traditional industry alive,
local government officials have floated the idea of establishing
a regulatory body to govern the price and supply of pepper.
The idea was seriously discussed a few months ago but no
action has yet been taken; as farmers wait, hoping the plan won't
be sneezed at by the new administration.