Bittersweet’ Coffee from Papua’s Central Highlands
Wamena coffee refers to a type of coffee that actually comes from many regions in the Central Highlands of Papua. It is famed for its taste and organic processing, but the farmers that grow the coffee are now growing old
By
STEFANUS ATO, SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS
·7 minutes read
Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta
Kugima villagers harvest coffee on Wednesday (17/11/2021) in Wolo district, Jayawijaya, Papua. The area typically grows the S-975 variety of Arabica coffee, which grows at an average altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level. Papua’s coffee industry is constrained by the issue of regeneration amid the majority of aging coffee farmers.
At the foot of the towering hills reaching into to the sky over Kugima village in Wolo district, Jayawijaya, Papua, lays a panorama of neatly arranged coffee plantations. Among the thick foliage and red coffee berries, Sili Gombo (63), accompanied by his wife and a relative, is clearing wild grass and weeds.
He has been managing 3-hectare Arabica coffee plantation for several decades. The first time he learned about coffee was in 1993, when the 1989-1998 Jayawijaya regent, Jos Buce Wenas, gave him some seedlings to plant.
Sili was given the seedlings without any knowledge about how to cultivate coffee. At that time, he still wore a koteka (penis sheath) and his day-to-day life was hunting in the forest.
"I planted [the seedlings] in the forest. Pak Wenas scolded me, ‘This is not the way to plant it,’" recalled Sili, smiling.
Sili had little knowledge about growing coffee, let alone that the seedlings were coffee plants. However, he was determined to grow the plant that, according to Regent Wenas, would make him rich.
From that determination, he continued to learn. He was open to various parties who gave him suggestions and input, whether agriculture extension workers or the soldiers who came by.
Sili no longer relies on other parties to obtain his coffee seedlings. In addition to growing and maintaining coffee plants, he has also established a coffee seedling nursery. The seedlings that are ready to be planted are then distributed to residents in the surrounding villages. He hopes that the people in his area can progress together and turn their village into one of Papua's coffee centers.
Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta
Coffee farmer Hubert Marian (right), dries coffee on Wednesday (17/11/2021) in Wosilimo district, Jayawijaya regency, Papua.
Regeneration
Amid Sili's enthusiasm for gaining new skills are other factors that are becoming worrisome, including the fact that some coffee farmers are now getting old.
Sili, for example, is over 60 and yet does not have a generation that will succeed him at his coffee plantation. His only son works in the city, while his three daughters have married and left home to join their husbands.
Hubert Marian, a coffee farmer at the foot of Mount Waga-waga in Isaima, Wosilimo district, Jayawijaya, is also experiencing the same situation. The pioneer of the Aluama Hubulama coffee brand said that the people in his village were now reluctant to cultivate coffee.
Hubert said he owned a 50-hectare coffee plantation, but when visiting him at his house in mid-November 2021, his coffee grinders had been silent for a long time. Cobwebs covered the coffee grinder, peeler and roasters stored in his warehouse.
In front of Hubert's house is a plot of land filled with coffee plants. Plants laden with coffee cherries are competing with weeds that are not being maintained.
“We usually clear the weeds on weekends. They haven’t been cleared yet," Hubert said.
Piter Tan, a Papuan coffee entrepreneur, said the average coffee farmer in Wamena was now old. Without regeneration, Papuan coffee could become increasingly difficult to obtain or even disappear.
In the eyes of coffee entrepreneurs, Papuan coffee is one of the most sought-after beans. This is because the coffee from Papua is free of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, grown in the forest and uses traditional farming and processing methods.
“Even though it is expensive, there are still many who buy it. People are willing to buy coffee at such a high price, meaning this coffee is different," said the owner of Pit's Corner Cafe in Jayapura.
However, it is not easy to obtain Papuan coffee. This is because the farmers’ coffee production is still not stable. For example, Piter purchased 20 tons of coffee from all coffee farmers in Papua in 2018. In 2021, he purchased 40 tons. This inconsistent coffee output is considered a challenge in maintaining the sustainability of coffee exports.
“The unstable level of production is influenced by many factors. For example, high prices, difficult access, and also security issues," he said.
Papuan coffee is sold at the farm gate for Rp 100,000 per kilogram. Piter usually processes the beans into ground coffee and then sells it for Rp 150,000 per 250 grams.
Coffee development
Coffee researcher Adnan from the Papua Agricultural Technology Research Center (BPTP) said that coffee in Wamena and the surrounding area was grown at an average 1,600 meters above sea level. The Arabica coffee grown there was the S-975 variety.
Coffee cultivation in Jayawijaya was highly compatible with the local culture. This was because coffee is an annual plant that did not need daily care and did not interfere with the Papua’s traditional cultures.
“Coffee fits their culture, can be done in groups. In terms of plants, the geographical location of the Jayawijaya region, which is at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level, is the best place for the cultivation of Arabica coffee.
Wamena coffee farmers were also considered more proficient at producing quality coffee. Farmers were starting to understand that they must harvest only ripe or red coffee cherries. They had also started sorting the beans.
"The quality of the coffee beans is getting better. The sorting process is still lacking. Sometimes, farmers don't want to sort [the beans] because it's tiring and they're not used to it," said Adnan.
Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta
Sili Gombo's coffee plantation in Kugima village, Wolo district, Jayawijaya, Papua, as seen on Wednesday (17/11/2021)
Another unresolved problem was that not all farmers took good care of their coffee plants, especially as regards pruning coffee plants and clearing weeds As a result, many coffee plants were competing with weeds.
In fact, coffee plants that are pruned and well maintained produce more fruit. According to BPTP Papua data, non-pruned coffee plants produce 400 kilograms of beans per hectare per year. If they are pruned, the yield increases to 650-700 kilograms per hectare per year.
This low level of production also affects the international demand for Papuan coffee. Coffee from Papua cannot be exported sustainably due to unstable production levels.
“In order for Wamena coffee to develop, farmers, the local administration and researchers need to sit down together to solve issues like ageing farmers, land area and quality, as well as customary land issues. If all the problems are solved, Wamena coffee could be as big as Brazilian coffee," said Adnan.
Jayawijaya Agriculture Office head Hendri Tetelepta said that so far, coffee was being cultivated in 90 villages spread over 20 districts. The potential land for coffee development was 32,679 hectares.
Eleven groups have their own brand. There are four brands that have entered the modern market. The rest are still being [developed]
Of this potential land, 2,026 ha are used to cultivate coffee. The details show that 214 ha are categorized as newly planted land, 774 ha are mature land and 1,009 ha are damaged, untreated or contaminated.
“Untreated [cultivated] land means there is coffee, but there are grasses or weeds. Usually, the problem for us is the land issue, because the land [falls under] customary rights. That has always been an obstacle,” said Hendri.
Another problem was the limited number of workers at the agriculture office. In Jayawijaya, out of 328 villages, 38 civil servants and 18 employees from the Agriculture Ministry were agriculture extension workers. Ideally, each village should have at least one extension worker.
Meanwhile, coffee production has continued to increase in Jayawijaya over the last three years. In 2018, the total coffee production was 130 tons, followed by 132.9 tons in 2019, and then 161 tons in 2020.
There are currently 11 coffee farmers groups in the area that have their own coffee brands.
“Eleven groups have their own brand. There are four brands that have entered the modern market. The rest are still being [developed]," he said.
