Workers upload sugarcanes on a truck to be brought to a sugar factory in Megawon village, Jati district, Kudus regency, Central Java, on Sunday (14/5). Sugar production has not met Indonesia’s consumption demand, which is estimated to reach 3.5 million tons.
Various problems have repeatedly knocked sugarcane farmers down. Only a few have survived to return to their fields, with others turning to harvesting rice. Those who stayed had no other choice but to keep their kitchens running. Others left the industry due to uncertainties when sugarcane was no longer “sweet.”
For Suparmin Sulistyo, 48, a resident of Krasakageng village, Sragi district, Pekalongan regency, Central Java, growing sugarcane today is like a suicide. In the last five years, sugarcane farmers suffered losses because their harvests did not come as expected. He switched to growing rice two years ago with the hope of seeing better results.
For 12 years, Suparmin grew sugarcane. But ultimately, he gave up. He could not stand the increasing production costs, which was much higher than the harvest. Suparmin faced bitter experiencesrepeatedly. In 2013, he suffered a loss of almost Rp 16 million (US$1,200) because of low rendeman (sugar content in sugarcane) and the failure of a large portion of his crop.
This was very different from the net profit of rice farming,which could reach Rp 3.5 million per hectare each harvest. In a year, rice farmers can harvest twice, meaning they can earn Rp 7 million. Meanwhile, sugarcane farmers earn only Rp 3 million per hectare and they only harvest once a year. Now, most of the farmers in Sragi district opt to growrice instead of sugarcane. The switch can be seen along the roads of Sragi.
Land that used to be planted with sugarcane has transformed into housing areas, rice fields and other plantations, such as corn, shallot and chili. About a kilometer from the Sragi Sugar Plant (PG), there once was a sugarcane scaling post and a rail track for transporting sugarcane. However, all that evidence of the sugarcane processing industryhas gone.
“The rail track was connected to some sugar plants along the northern coast of Central Java, from Brebes [PG Jatibarang] through Pati [PG Trangkil],” said Sutoyo, 65, a supervisor of the Sragi sugarcane plantation in the 1970s.
Land transformation
Sutoyo said the golden era of sugarcane plantation dimmed in the early 2000s. It was common to see a sugarcane harvest of 110 tons per hectare. Today, it is difficult to collect 60-80 tons. One of the causes of this drastic reduction is land transformation.
The government is no longer strict in requiring each village to have sugarcane farming. In addition, sugarcane production has been decreasing due to the declining quality and capability of the supervisors, who do not efficiently monitor the work of their farmers. This means cultivation does not follow proper procedure.
“As a result, many sugarcane plants died, uprooted due to strong winds. Also, theygrew to 4.5-5 meters but had low sugar content— not more than 11 percent,” Sutoyo added.
When farmers in Central Java began switching to harvesting rice, sugarcane farmers in East Java tried to continue their work despiteanxieties over extreme weather conditions,which have caused the low production of sugarcane. One of these farmers was Hartoyo, 40, a resident of Tomporejo village in Singosari district.
His concerns seemed founded, as until the second week of May 2017, the weather remained cloudy. That means the potential of downpour was imminent.
“Yes, I was worried. In 2016, it rained throughout the year and that caused a low sugar content of 6 percent,” he said.
That day, Hartoyo cleaned the leaves of his four-month old sugarcane plants, which is part of the tending process in addition to adding fertilizer.
This is the 11thseeding of the Bululawang variety of sugarcane that grew on an 8,000 square-meterplot of land belonging to Hartoyo. The sugarcane plants would be harvested around October-November. Hartoyo plans to sell his crop to PG Kebon Agung, one of two plants in the Malang regency.
Amid unfavorable weather and low production as last year, he said he was able to earn a Rp 25 million gross profit. The cost of harvesting was Rp 5,000 per 100 kilograms. From 8,000 square meters, he garnered 70 tons of harvest.
“Last year, we got three big trucks or 70 tons of sugarcane. The gross revenue was Rp 25 million, minus a harvesting cost of Rp 3.5 million. The net profit was Rp 21 million. If production was high, earnings would also be high,” said Hartoyo, who once saw sugar content of 10 percent.
In addition to weather anomalies, farmers also worried about pricing after the government set the consumer sugar price at Rp 12.500 per kilogram. Today, main sugar production cost is at Rp 11.500 per kilogram, meaning the margin is too small.
The situation was conveyed by Taufik Arahman, chairman of the Olean chapter of the Situbondo-based People’s Sugarcane Farmers Association. He said the issue regarding sugar prices was more worrying than plans to shut down three sugar plants in Situbondo.
Imam Mahdi, 42, a sugarcane farmer from Beji district, Pasuruan, said the small profit farmers earned could only be used to pay for daily needs and land rent.
He has to borrow money to start a new planting season.
“Fortunately, for this year’s planting season, PG Kedawoeng offered a Rp 15 million loan to each farmer, so that I can pay last year’s debt and start the planting season,” he added.
