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.