Tobacco growers angry over land certificates

Tobacco growers angry over land certificates

Wasis Sasmito, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The National Land Agency (BPN) has been accused of acting in the
interests of a powerful state-owned tobacco plantation company
over those of local farmers.

Tobacco growers in Jenggawah subdistrict, East Java, have
expressed outrage after BPN land certificates were branded
useless.

The growers -- only issued the certificates after violent
protests with state-owned tobacco plantation company PTPN XI
which claimed dozens of lives -- are demanding BPN issue new
documents with a clause, which states the land cannot be resold
without BPN permission, removed.

The clause means farmers cannot use their land titles as
collateral to get loans from banks, sell the land to non-approved
third parties or use the land as they see fit.

"I will return my land certificate because it's fake," a
resident of Cangkring village in the subdistrict told The Jakarta
Post recently.

The issue emerged when Bank Rakyat refused to give two farmers
credit to buy seedlings and fertilizer.

The two farmers, who were given the certificates in May, 2002,
said the reason cited by the banks was that the documents
stipulated the land could not be sold without permission from the
BPN office in Jember.

The saga has a long history with both PTPN XI and local
farmers fighting over the ownership of more than 2,600 hectares
of tobacco plantation land in the Ajung, Jenggawah, Mumbulsari
and Rambipuji subdistricts.

The state company, which has used the land to grow tobacco for
more than 40 years, claimed the land was contracted to it by the
government, with residents maintaining the contract had expired.

Following a series of violent protests that claimed dozens of
lives and injured hundreds of others, the former chief of BPN,
Sony Harsono, issued a decree on July 20, 1998, requiring PTPN XI
return the land and that both sides become partners in the
production of tobacco.

Farmers have since held a number of demonstrations to force
the local BPN office to explain why the clause was included on
the land certificates, but to no avail.

"We will no longer to be deceived. The situation will
deteriorate unless the local administration takes the necessary
steps to solve the problem," said influential local figure Joko
Tarub.

Local BPN chief Tjahyo Arianto denied claims the land owners
were not entitled to bank credits by using their land
certificates as legal guarantees.

"There is no problem with the bank credits because we have
lobbied all banks in the region to provide credits for farmers to
help improve tobacco production in the regency."

He asked that if the issued certificates were fake then "why
are many others still requesting certificates for their land?."

Tjahyo said his office had issued more than 3,200 certificates
in the four subdistricts since 1998. About 5,000 other farmers'
applications were being processed.

He conceded to having written the clause stipulating the land
could not be sold to third parties outside Jember.

Landowners lashed out at Tjahyo, saying the local BPN office
was acting for PTPN XI and helping it maintain the tobacco supply
to the company.

"Without the clause in the land certificates, PTPN XI has no
guarantee of a tobacco supply from the farmers," said P. Dasri, a
tobacco grower from Pancakarya.

Dasri, jailed for seven months after being found guilty of
instigating protests, warned the local administration the
protests would resume if it failed to protect the local people's
rights.

"If the local administration is committed to protecting the
local people's interests it must acknowledge their ownership of
the land and their right to sell their land or use it as they see
fit," he said.