Mohammad Ali Syahdan: There are too Few Pearl Researchers

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Mohammad Ali Syahdan, Head of West Nusa Tenggara Marine and Fishery Office, claims that his home province is the only serious pearl industry region in Indonesia. He said, "Many types are sold here, like the black pearls of Tahiti and the fresh-water pearls of China, because they want to piggyback on our fame (of Lombok pearls)."

Four years after he got his degree in fishery from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) in 1984, Ali, 54, took on the job as head of the Lombok Fishery Unit. He knows the ups and downs of the pearl business around Lombok, the pearl center of West Nusa Tenggara, and some say, of Indonesia.

Two weeks ago, Tempo reporter Sadika Hamid interviewed Ali at his office in Mataram:

How did the pearl become such an icon of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB)?

We have mastered the technology of seeding shell pearls. Before, only the Japanese were able to do that. Then there was a transfer of technology and we formed small study groups, a project funded by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) for a five-year period. By the early 1990s, we were able to carry out pearl-seeding and nucleus insertion. The government had mapped out the potential for pearl production in 1988-1989, so companies no longer needed to go through the hassle of doing their own surveys. Moreover, the downstream sector supported us. We noticed many craft centers suddenly appearing, particularly jewelry designers.

Yet production of Lombok pearls has been declining.

There used to be 42 companies cultivating pearls. Today, only eight are left. Our production now is about 200 kilograms, a far cry from 1-2 tons annually, the result of the 1997 economic crisis. The number of buyers – from Europe and Japan – decreased. We were also over-producing, which affected the market price.

What is being done to get the investors back?

The business people will return when they see the opportunity. In fact, no one has released their (seeding) sites, even though they have neglected them for years. They still pay their dues, with the hope that when the prices go up again, they will re-invest. Today, the industry is slowly rising again. On September of October this year, we plan to open an international auction showroom here.

But business people say Lombok has nothing to sell...

This is the central government's strategy. We are the world's number one supplier of pearls, so it seems strange that we do not have an auction center. The pearls sold will come from all over Indonesia. People should no longer need to travel to Japan or Hong Kong to buy pearls. We auction our best quality pearls by the kilo or ton.

Your province conducted research on pearls. What is your contribution to the development of the pearl?

People doing research come from LIPI and the Lombok Marine Cultural Center. They can adapt to the modern pearl seeding technology but they haven't quite got the knack of obtaining the good shells, certain colored pearls, and creating big pearls. Very likely, there will be genetic engineering. The only problem is, there are too few researchers and no funds.

Isn't the pearl production declining because of water pollution and the presence of illegal gold miners?

Long before there were mines, production had declined because of the economic crisis. Heavy metallic elements are not in the sea, the shells are unaffected because they filter what they eat.

But the quality of pearl harvest has declined?

Because the core shells used to be retrieved from the sea. Today, seeds are obtained from farms. They should be doing cross-breeding, between local pearls with those from Ambon or Madura.

The interview is also available on print in this week's edition of Tempo English (July 8).