TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chief of Staff of the Presidency, Moeldoko, said coffee farmers in Indonesia have weakness in managing the potency of the downstream sector of coffee commodities.
He noted that there are five major problems experienced by coffee farmers in Mount Puntang. Among other things, the issue of land ownership status that is actually owned by Perum Perhutani, the management, capital, and, the marketing.
According to Moeldoko, the capital problem often made the farmers to cover production costs of coffee cultivation. He said that coffee farmers in Mount Puntang still do not have a combination of farmer groups (Gapoktan) and only the Village Community Forest Institute (LMDH). The result was not a few farmers who suffered losses due to the bondage practice applied by the middlemen.
Moeldoko argued when the capital for maintenance costs including the faltered fertilizer, will make the quality of coffee not maximal.
“The weakness, our society is still LMDH, and not forming Gapoktan. While all the subsidies are given by the Ministry of Agriculture through the proposal from Gapoktan,” Moeldoko said during a visit to the coffee plantation in the region of Mount Puntang, Bandung, Tuesday, May 29.
Moeldoko said the potential of Mount Puntang coffee is very high. Moreover, in 2016, Moeldoko noted the Puntang coffee was managed to become the best coffee with a score reached 86.25. It is confirmed by Ayi Suteja, one of Mount Puntang coffee farmers.
"At that time we got the best score during the race held by SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America)," said Ayi Suteja.
Seeing the enormous potential of coffee, Moeldoko, who is also a former Commander of the TNI, claimed to have further desire to deepen the world of coffee.
"Coming back from here I will meet with coffee experts, professors who can develop about coffee," Moeldoko said on the sidelines of his visit.
AMINUDIN