Former Cannabis Plantations Now Rice and Crop Farms

Kompas/Nikson Sinaga

An alleyway of Kampung Kubur in Central Petisah subdistrict, Medan Petisah district, Medan, North Sumatra, is seen in this photo taken on Saturday (3/3). Kampung Kubur is known for its rampant narcotics transactions, where users can rent “inhale houses” for Rp 10,000 (73 US cents) per person to use drugs.

Fauzan, 29, and Fakri, 49, were overseeing farmworkers sun-drying soy beans in a yard on Thursday (1/3) in Lambada village of Lamteuba, Aceh Besar regency, Aceh. Two middle-aged women were scattering the soybeans with a rake made of a wooden board attached to a long, wooden handle.

The soybeans must be dried under the sun to prevent the growth of mold during distribution to various regions. “We are challenged to produce 70 tons of soybeans, but we can only produce 50 tons right now. Next year, we’ve been asked to provide seeds for three regencies,” said Fauzan, head of the Oisca farmers group.

The group has 200 members. Rice, soybeans, red chili and other crops are now being cultivated on a former cannabis plantation.

Geographically, Lamteuba is located in the foothills of Mt. Seulawah, some 50 kilometers from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. The region is renowned as a cannabis producer. Dozens of hectares of cannabis plantations are eradicated every year.

During the era of the Acehnese insurgency, Lamteuba was relatively untouched by development. It seemed to have been forgotten. Poverty was prevalent and the people’s level of education was low.

Most of the people in its eight villages cultivated rice and crop vegetable. However, some – like Fauzan and Fakri – chose to cultivate cannabis.

Fauzan had been in the cannabis business since 2002, when he was just 13 years old. He said he was paid Rp 50,000 (US$3.65) every time he carried dried cannabis from the forest to the loading area. Granted, it was a relatively huge fee for him. However, he did not think about the risks involved.

A year later, he tried to grow cannabis on his own with the help of four other teenagers. He dreamed of making huge profits. The required capital was small, seeds were readily obtained and the he could pick any spot in the vast forest to plant them.

In 2005, Fauzan and Fakri left the cannabis-farming business, as they grew increasingly worried for their lives. Fauzan switched to growing red chilies. He made Rp 50 million from his first harvest, as the chili price was high at the time. Since then, he has continued to cultivate other crop vegetables.

With support from the Aceh Besar regency administration in 2009, Fauzan was sent to the Oisca Training Center in Sukabumi, West Java. There, he learned how to take care of a plantation and about post-harvest processing. Once he got home from Sukabumi, he encouraged his friends to switch from growing cannabis to growing crops. The Oisca farmers group was established, taking its name from the training center. At first, the group had just 15 members.

Training

In 2016, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) worked with the Agriculture Ministry, the Army and the local administration to launch the Grand Design of Alternative Development (GDAD) to transform local cannabis plantations into farmland for agribusinesses. In addition to Lamteuba, the program was also established in the Gayo Lues and Bireuen regencies.

The Agriculture Ministry opened new fields for cannabis farmers and provided them with rice and soybean seeds. Some 98 hectares were opened to the farmers of the Oisca farmers group, which now has 200 members.

The farmers apply crop rotation, planting padi gogo (a cultivar that is grown on dry land) and soybean alternately. The rice is harvested for the farmers’ consumption, while soybean is sold to the farmers group.

Aceh Deputy Governor Nova Iriansyah said he was optimistic that, with good inter-agency cooperation, Aceh could transform its image from a cannabis producer to a rice and vegetable producer.

In Jakarta, counseling programs in the Boncos and Ambon kampungs have reduced the prevalence of narcotics. The number of raids has decreased, and people live in a more peaceful environment. However, when the counseling program is relaxed, narcotics resume distribution and the raids return.

Kubur kampung

In Medan, North Sumatra, drug incidents are found in downtown areas such as Kubur kampung.

Last week, for instance, a bare-chested man was smoking on the balcony of a two-story home in the densely populated area. Two men were waiting below. The man on the balcony then lowered a black bucket tied to a rope. The two men placed money inside the bucket. The man pulled up the bucket, and then lowered it once more. This time, there was a small package inside, wrapped in plastic.

“This is how [drug] transactions are done. Just yesterday, the police arrested a meth dealer just a few meters from the home,” said kampung resident Delima, 50.

Kubur is a densely populated area and a major drug center in Medan. Raids are conducted almost every day in the area of Petisah Tengah subdistrict, Medan Petisah district.

The area’s residents saw change in 2016, three months after then BNN chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso visited the 500-by-300-meter kampung situated beside the Deli River.

“After the BNN chief came, there were police and BNN posts here for three months. Drug deals declined. But the posts were closed, and the drugs returned,” said Emmy, 64, a former neighborhood chief of Kubur kampung.

Today, local residents guard almost every road into Kubur. They are suspicious about every stranger who enters.

Is change possible? The program aiming to improve the local economy in Lamteuba is just one example. There, Fauzan and several other local farmers vowed to switch from growing cannabis to vegetables. Consistence and sincerity are the keys to change.