TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian coffee has finally carved itself a niche in its own home market. Starbucks, the giant US coffee chain, now faces serious competitors—local cafes popping up, from malls to sidewalks. Overwhelmed by the increasing domestic demand which rose four percent annually, many coffee exporters have stopped overseas shipments.
More and more Indonesians have realized that their country is home to one of the world’s finest coffees, even superior to imported variants, the quality recognized by the world since three centuries ago.
The Indonesian coffee trail began when in 1711, the Cianjur regent exported four quintals of coffee to Amsterdam—recorded to be the largest shipment during the colonial period. The Dutch government made enthusiastically studied the bean and declared that the Java coffee was the best among those from the other colonies.
The Dutch soldiers then brought the Indonesian coffee throughout their colonial empire including South America. From the Dutch colony countries there, the bean made its way to the neighboring countries. Three centuries later, some of these countries have become the largest coffee importers in the world, with Brazil and Colombia at the top first and second spots. Indonesia ranks fourth after Vietnam.
Ironically, Brazil with only 600,000 hectares coffee plantations produce 1 ton per hectare whereas Indonesia’s 1.3 million hectares-the largest in the world- yields only 600 kilograms per hectare. It is because most of the Indonesian coffee farms are ‘left-over’ farms from the Dutch.
The hardest slap is the fact that Vietnamese researchers learned robusta coffee cultivation from Lampung in 1986.
Following the colonial period, Brazil and Colombia began massive production of coffee. After fulfilling the annual domestic need of 6 kilograms per capita, Brazil exported the rest to European countries known for their ardent coffee drinking habits although none grows the crop.
Today, Indonesians have been bitten by the same bug developing a coffee fever that could help boost the economy. Taking this opportunity of changing lifestyles brought on by the growing economy and technology, more rigorous campaigns are needed to promote the coffee drinking culture among the population.
Such campaigns should be accompanied by research by both academics and research institutions to enhance the coffee production. The increased demand should encourage local farmers to also process their crops—not just plant and pick them—to increase sales value.
Like the Dutch and the French, we should carry out thorough research. Academic research will empower coffee growers with knowledge of new cultivation and processing methods. Brazilian and Vietnamese farmers now use harvesting equipment that is more innovative and modern while our farmers still hand-pick the fruits.
The quality of the coffee begins when the crop is planted. Coffee lovers even assert that 60 percent of the flavor and aroma is determined at this stage. Post-harvest processes and brewing methods only play a minor role in determining the quality of the end-product in a cup. Our farmers must have empirical reference to enable them to produce quality coffee such as the Cianjur coffee that received much acclaim three centuries ago.
The government must take a bigger role in building research centers and in ensuring smooth distribution through infrastructure improvement. It is worthwhile to look at possibilities to integrate these efforts in President Jokowi’s 20 million hectares social forestry policy.
Local communities tasked to manage state-owned forests and plantations in their areas may be encouraged to grow coffee. Perhutani owns millions of hectares forests that are highly suitable for arabica coffee, which currently makes up only 27 percent of the total production.
Ease of access to lands, seeds and capital as well as distribution infrastructure will be a perfect boon to the local farmers. Let’s not let this golden goose get away like we did three centuries ago.
Read the full article in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
