Sahnan Hadi Flourishing With Lingsar Mangosteen

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

Sahnan Hadi

Lingsar mangosteen has become a major export commodity for West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), which received a major boost from the perseverance of Sahnan Hadi, 47, who motivated residents of Ndut hamlet, Batu Mekar village, West Lombok, to cultivate the fruit.

In Lingsar district, including Batu Mekar, the mangosteen is not an unfamiliar plant. Sahnan explained that mangosteen trees can easily be found in the gardens of most residents homes, including those that are decades old. As a child, he used to go around the village, traveling as far as the market to gather and buy mangosteen seeds.

Sahnan began seriously cultivating mangosteen in 1996.

“At the time, I had just gotten married and had no activities. I had inherited around 14.16 hectares of farmland. I used 4 ha to plant 2,000 mangosteen seeds,” Sahnan said in his home in Ndut hamlet on Friday (9/7/2021).

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Sahnan’s undertaking initially did not appeal to residents. He was even teased and ridiculed for wasting his time. This was because people were used to seeing mangosteen trees growing all around their village.

Sahnan took no heed of what they said and carried on. His diligent efforts were rewarded two years later.

“My mangosteen seedlings sold very well. Many buyers came from several regions in Lombok,” Sahnan added.

Sahnan continued his mangosteen seedling business in 1999, by harvesting 10,000 seeds. The amount, however, was still insufficient because seedling demand was very high. So, Sahnan started approaching his friends in Ndut hamlet.

“I convinced them that many buyers were seeking mangosteen seedlings. But if work alone, I won’t be able to meet the demand, so they should take part,” said Sahnan.

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

Sahnan Hadi

His invitation received a positive response, as they had also directly witnessed Sahnan’s successful mangosteen seedling business. Fifteen people were enthusiastically involved in producing mangosteen seedlings.

“I made sure that the seedlings they produced were sold. Therefore, when I got seedling orders, I did not supply all of them. I shared [the orders] with my friends, too,” he said.

Along with 15 of his fellow villagers, Sahnan formed a mangosteen seedling production group called Hijau Lestari (Everlasting Green) in 2011. In the same year, they set up a group named Maju Bersama (Onward Together), which is still operating today.

The mangosteen seedling groups were needed to meet the requirement to get access to aid offered by the regional administration, among other reasons. They obtained the aid in the form of seedlings that had to be grown on a production area. Since then, Sahnan and his groups have been engaged in two lines of business, the cultivation of mangosteen fruits and seedlings.

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“Our mangosteen seedling business is thriving, not only to meet local demand, as there are many more new mangosteen production groups, but also to be delivered to other regions such as Bali,” said Sahnan, who almost couldn’t believe the passion shown by residents, including those in his village, for developing seedlings and growing mangosteen trees.

Exports

Today, most farmers in Batu Mekar and its vicinity have 100-150 mangosteen trees. In the harvest seasons, which last around two months, each tree aged 7 to 15 years produces 75-100 kilograms of mangosteen fruits in total. The trees that are older than 15 years of age can produce up to 200 kg.

With such characteristics, the Agriculture Ministry declared Lingsar mangosteen a superior variety in September 2006.

Lingsar mangosteen fruits are known for their relatively big size, dark red skin and clean white flesh with a sweet taste. Lingsar mangosteen trees are quick-yielding and capable of adapting properly to high and low altitudes. With such characteristics, the Agriculture Ministry declared Lingsar mangosteen a superior variety in September 2006.

Despite the villagers’ abundant production, said Sahnan, they once faced the constraint of marketing. In every bumper harvest, farmers were confused about where to sell. The village had only one trader.

“From 2013 to 2015, our mangosteen fruits were sold at Rp 3,000 [21 UC cents] to Rp 4,000 per kg. We had no choice. It was even more so when the Bali mangosteen entered Lombok,” Sahnan said.

Actually, there was some hope as Lingsar mangosteen was wanted by the export market. Exports were realized through Bali. However, the impact on farmers was minimal because the bargaining price of farmers, including Sahnan’s group, was low.

“It was even worse when production abounded and there was just one trader,” he said.

Sahnan and his group then urged the government to open a direct export route to the country of destination without going through Bali. It was approved because the NTB administration was also promoting exports. Finally, in mid-December 2020, NTB exported 1,120 tons of Lingsar mangosteen worth Rp 1 billion to Guangzhou, China.

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

The atmosphere of Batu Mekar Village, Lingsar District, West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Friday (9/7/2021).

The exports of Lingsar mangosteen had a multiple impact. The number of mangosteen traders in Lingsar increased and the price of mangosteen at the farmer level rose to Rp 65,000 per kg.

“This really stimulates our enthusiasm and we hope it will continue,” said Sahnan.

“Previously, when the seedling business was brisk, we fixed the price of [mangosteen] seedlings. Now, the buyers do so because there are already many seedling nurseries,” said Sahnan, who is trying to promote the consumption of Lingsar mangosteen by tourism-related businesses such as hotels in NTB.

Sahnan Hadi

Born: Ndut, West Lombok, Feb. 16, 1974

Wife: Raimah, 39

Children: Three

Education: Junior High School 1 Narmada

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)