Reviving the glory of Virginia tobacco
Reviving the glory of Virginia tobacco
Haji Lallu Ayub, a villager in Sikur district, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara looked happy to see the quality of the tobacco leaves from his farm.
Unlike last year, the quality of tobacco leaves produced from his five-hectare farming area in this year's first harvest season are much better thanks to good weather and less plant diseases.
"I'm so glad that the quality of our tobacco leaves is much better than last year. I'm optimistic that those leaves will have grade A,' the father of five told a number of Jakarta-based journalists visiting his farming site recently.
Haji Lallu Ayub is one of a number of tobacco farmers in the Sikur district taking part in a partnership program sponsored by PT Sadhana Arif Nusa, a subsidiary of clover cigarette producer PT HM Sampoerna Tbk.
Started in 1995, the partnership program -- part of the company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities -- has been designed to revive the glory of Virginia tobacco, once known as one of the best types of tobacco varieties in the world.
At least 1,260 farmers in Lombok take part in the program with total tobacco plantation areas of about 3,000 hectares.
PT Sadhana gives both financial support and technical assistance for the farmers; including providing quality seeds, and fertilizers. The company also hires a number of field supervisors to help the farmers not only in the plantation activities but also in processing and marketing. Under this partnership program, all the tobacco leaves that meet the standards are sold to PT Sadhana.
"When we began this program back in 1995, farmers produced no mare than 1,000 kg per hectare. With our technology, now they can produce up to 2,000 kg per hectare and with a far better quality leaves," said Andrew Cockburn, technical advisor of the Leaf Improvement program.
"Lombok, with its cool weather, is quite suitable for growing Virginia tobacco. The farmers are also very cooperative and open for new technology we bring," he said, comparing the situation in the Philippines and Pakistan where he had worked for similar partnership programs.
The latest invention of Andrew and the team is to cover the soil with rice stalk in order to maintain the humidity of the plants. "It works very well particularly in the dry season during which the lack of water has became a common issue here," he said. "With this simple system, the leaf production can be significantly increased," he added.
Besides transferring the farming technology, the partnership also teaches farmers about management so that they have the opportunity to become professional businessmen. "Not all farmers here have their own land, some rent it. They, therefore, have to think strategically about the cost and the result so that they could earn profit at the end of the harvest time", told Koeswanto, leaf station manager of PT Sadhana.
According Koeswanto, professionalism is necessary because if farmers suffer losses from their tobacco farming, the company will also be disadvantaged.
The selling prices of the tobacco leaves are negotiated at the beginning of the planting season. "It's fair for us (farmers), because we can sell the tobacco leaves to other buyers, if we don't agree with PT Sadhana's offered prices," Haji Lallu said.
In Lombok, there are nine others partnership program in tobacco planting. Besides PT. Sadhana, there are PT Djarum, BAT, Philip Morris and other cigarette companies who are working with local farmers to produce good quality tobacco leaves. Up to now, the size of tobacco plantations under this kind of partnership programs has reached about 18,747 hectares. -- Agustina Wayansari/The Jakarta Post