Price Not Promising, Hard Coffee Farmers Boost Production

Medan-Coffee production in North Sumatra ( North Sumatra ) is still relatively low . Because , most of the coffee plantations owned by the people is to be rejuvenated old plants .Likewise farmers meremajakannya difficulties due to economic constraints and the low sale price . Even some farmers began to replace them with other, more profitable crops , such as corn .


Head of Production Department Sumatra Plantations , Herawaty , say , North Sumatra has a coffee plantation which was quite spacious . Consists of an area of ​​58 118 hectares of arabica coffee , robusta coffee while only 21 680 hectares . Arabica production could reach 46,000 tons per year , while robusta 8,400 tonnes per year .
However , because the general public is a coffee plantation old plant , production is still arguably low . If people want to rejuvenate , coffee production in Sumatra could be increased again . " Because that's the old plant , so ya can not maximum production , " he told MedanBisnis , Friday ( 27/12 ) in the field .
Actually , Herawaty said , in an effort to increase coffee production , the government has been implementing programs in North Sumatra coffee intensification conducted in 11 districts in Simelungun with an area of ​​approximately 1,000 hectares which will involve 1,199 farmers .
In Simelungun alone , there are 8,000 hectares of coffee plants . Under this program , farmers are given assistance in the form of equipment , medicines pest eradication , pembenah organic soil , fertilizer , seeds , pruning shears , and other needs .
Mawardi Edge , coffee farmers in the village of Pasi , District Brampu , Dairi says , not much can be dipanennya from the coffee land area of ​​one hectare . At the time of harvesting , once quoting he could only get as much as 5 liters .
" It's an old plant , has been handed down and the longer the fall production . Actually there are calls from people to rejuvenate with trimming , but it can not be done alone , there should be more capital to pay people to do the trimming . So yes , I let it go like this , " he said .
He deeply wants to rejuvenate . However, due to lack of capital , ultimately can not be done . Moreover , the price of coffee at the farm level is still less favorable . A week ago , for example , he sells his coffee at a price of grain up to 9,000 per 7,000 liters ( 1 liter = 1.5 kg ) . With these prices , it is not enough to pay the wages to be paid for Rp 40,000 a day .
Till now , he said , many coffee farmers are turning planting corn because it is more convenient and profitable . " I myself have had a land area of ​​1 hectare of corn , on land that I planted coffee , " he said .( Devantoro )Medan bisnis