Abstract
Bengkulu province has a forest area of around 920,640 ha, covering about 46.54 % of the total land mass. The provincial administration of Bengkulu, located in South Sumatra, stretches 567 km from West Sumatra (Padang) to the border of Lampung province in the south (Map 1). National parks, natural conservation, and protected forests in Bengkulu cover 696,924 ha, or 76 % of the total forest area (Fig. 12.1). These forest areas are generally located along the length of the Bukit Barisan Mountain range, the upstream regions of the majority of rivers in Bengkulu province, which are vitally important for the population living in downstream regions.
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Notes
- 1.
For further information, see Rencana Umum Kehutanan Propinsi Daerah Tingkat I Bengkulu (General Plan of Forest Sector in Bengkulu Province), 1984–1999, pp. 59.
- 2.
This interview with head of Forestry Agency in Provincial level on February 17, 2003.
- 3.
This definition of “forest squatter” is referred to in the speech of the Minister of Transmigration and Forest Squatter Resettlement (Siswono Yudohusodo) in 1993. See Alternative Model to Solve Forest Squatters from Social and Cultural Perspective, Jakarta, LIPI-PMB, 1996, pp. 3.
- 4.
Batu Bandung village, which was previously entered in the Kepahiang subdistrict, currently since 2001, it entered the Bermani Ilir subdistrict, Rejang Lebong district. This estimation of “forest squatters” (perambah hutan) reaches around 350–450 heads of family. They occupy thousands of hectares of protected forest area such as in Bukit Besar and Bukit Melintang (Interview with former head of Batu Bandu village, February 21, 2003).
- 5.
These are trees with similar group and function such as Lamtoro Gung, Petecina, Ipil-ipil, Kemlandingan, and Selong, which categorized Leucaena leucocephala. The benefit of these trees, namely to greening the environment, to prevent critical land, because of erosion and terracing, and other functions, such as their leaves are used to feed animals such as goat, sheep, cattle, and the like. See Soerodjotanojo, Membina Usaha Perkebunan Lamtoro Gung (To guide Lamtoro Gung Plantation), Jakarta: Balai Pustaka, 1983, pp. 12–13.
- 6.
Social Forestry Development program allocated in Bengkulu Province for fiscal year 2002. This program is to plant multipurpose trees such as Kemiri, Pinang, Jengkol, Durian, Pinus, Mahoni, Sengon, and so on. The benefit of this program will be advocating social and economic communities, to prevent soil erosion and to conserve water. See Balai Pengelolaan Daerah Aliran Sungai Ketahun, Bengkulu, December 2002.
- 7.
Interview with village officer on February 21, 2003 in Batu Bandung village.
- 8.
Interview with staff of research development in Industrial Agency in Provincial level, on February 21, 2003 in Bengkulu.
- 9.
Interview with staff of Industry Agency in district Rejang Lebong on February 24, 2003.
- 10.
The normal coffee price is Rp. 5,000/kg. At this price, farmers can make a normal profit and have an annual expenditure for their needs. If the price is under Rp. 5,000, for example Rp. 2,500–3,000 as occurred in 2000/2001, the farmers suffer a disadvantage from coffee production (Interview, February 24, 2003).
- 11.
The price of coffee reached Rp. 17,000–18,000/kg when the Soeharto regime stepped down in May 1998. When the “economic crisis” of Asia occurred, including Indonesia, the price of the dollar rapidly increased into Rp. 18,000/US$.
- 12.
The mechanism of Jahe (ginger tea) trade based on “truth”. Village traders usually get ginger tea from farmers. The payment system to farmers takes about a week because village traders also wait for their money from subdistrict traders (interview, 27 February, 2003).
- 13.
Village farmers work in their paddy fields supported by their family and no migrant workers. In 2000, the paddy field activities became more intensive among farmers of Batu Bandung because of the economic crisis. These rice productions are consumed for their own meal and not sold (Interview, February 20, 2003).
- 14.
The names of informants, which are registered on “coffee traders” from village to provincial level are real names. There are two reasons: to know conditions in the field better, and to keep from false names, as it is difficult to trace back. The writer has permission to mention the names.
- 15.
The words “Toko Manisan” are familiar and is used in Batu Bandung village for naming shops. In fact, this shop provided basic needs for villagers such as rice, oil, soap, cigarettes, cakes, fish, soybeans, and so on (Interview, February 27, 2003).
- 16.
The survey carried out by the Industry and Trade Agency of Rejang Lebong District in 1985/1986 of 15 coffee traders in Kepahiang. The result has identified that in the coffee season, Kepahiang contributed 90,000 tons annually (250 tons per day; interview on February 27, 2003).
- 17.
Palembang Jaya Company was a newcomer in coffee trading in 1990, after Gunung Selatan Company stopped in 1989. The head office of this company is located in Palembang, Karang Anyar. This company was one of the branch businesses of Darmala Group, one of the 20 biggest Chinese conglomerates in Indonesia.
- 18.
Interview on February 28, 2003 with staff on Industry and Trade Agency in Local Government (Curup).
- 19.
Hongi as the owner of the Gunung Selatan Company could collect 250–300 tons per week in the 1980s.
- 20.
This “trust” by receiving money transfers from Palembang Jaya Company, was through bank institution transfers from Rp. 100–300 million. This “coffee trading” scarcely happened among Chinese ethnic based on mutual trust in trading. This relation obliged Sutopo to send at least twice per week for the best quality of coffee (Interview, on March 1, 2003).
- 21.
In fact, Bengkulu province is the largest coffee producer in Sumatra. Because this province lacked infrastructure facilities such as banking, port, and political will of the provincial government the main coffee trading transferred to Lampung and Palembang (Interview, March 2, 2003).
- 22.
The export realization of coffee production in 2001–2002 registered 3,660 tons. This total amount was drastically decreased, when compared with the export figure of 33,804 tons registered during 1997–1998 (Interview with staff of AEKI, on March 4, 2003).
- 23.
See Robinson, Richard (1986), Indonesia: The Rise of Capital, Australia, Allen & Unwin.
- 24.
This interview held on February 27, 2003 on Palembang Jaya Company’s role in 1980s–1990s based on Ahien, a former head of coffee storehouse in Curup and Palembang. It is difficult to interview former managers of this company, because it has been liquid since 1999.
References
Robinson R (1986) The rise of capital in Indonesia. Allen and Unwin Press, Sydney
Sardjono MA (2004) Mosaik Sosiologis Kehutanan: Masyarakat Lokal, Politik, dan Kelestarian Sumberdaya [Forestry in sociological review: local community, politics and sustainable natural forest]. Debut Press, Jogjakarta
Pembangunan Hutan Kemasyarakatan Propinsi Bengkulu Tahun Anggaran (2002) [The Development on Social Forestry in Bengkulu Province Fiscal Year 2002]. Balai Pengelolaan Daerah Aliran Sungai Ketahun. Direktorat Jenderal Rehabilitasi Lahan dan Perhutanan Sosial. Departemen Kehutanan
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Hidayat, H. (2016). Logging, Coffee Production, Distribution, and Markets in Bengkulu. In: Forest Resources Management in Indonesia (1968-2004). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-745-1_12
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