People Sili Gombo Learns Coffee from Soil
In addition to diligently tending to his coffee plants, Sili also has an advantage in the coffee processing techniques he uses, which are not widely practiced among coffee farmers in Papua.
Sili Gombo, a coffee farmer in the Central Highlands, Papua.
Sili Gombo does not grow coffee just for himself. He also distributes coffee seedlings to other villagers so they can also benefit from the commodity.
In the middle of his vast expanse of coffee plants, Sili Gombo smiled brightly as he told stories about his plantation. He was enthusiastic and very happy that someone from outside his village was visiting his coffee plantation, which was clean and orderly.
The 63-year-old man then took a coffee seedling that was still in a plastic planter bag, or polybag, while singing. He was rejoicing in the middle of a thriving coffee plantation at the foothills of Kugima village, in Wolo district, Jayawijaya, Papua.
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The 3-hectare Arabica coffee plantation was the result of Sili and his wife’s hard work and perseverance. They did not only plant, maintain and harvest coffee, but also processed the commodity into roasted coffee and ready-to-drink coffee powder. The quality of their green beans, or raw coffee beans, is unquestionable. At least one coffee shop manager in Sentani, Jayapura regency, Papua, attests to this.
Sili also uses the wine-processed coffee method, coffee beans that are fermented to produce a unique taste and aroma that blends the bitterness of coffee and the freshness of wine.
In addition to diligently tending to his coffee plants, Sili also has an advantage in the coffee processing techniques he uses, which are not widely practiced among coffee farmers in Papua. Sili also uses the wine-processed coffee method, coffee beans that are fermented to produce a unique taste and aroma that blends the bitterness of coffee and the freshness of wine.
Sili also reserves the best coffee cherries for growing seedlings. He tends to the planted seeds with all his heart until they germinate. He grows the coffee seedlings on his land as well as distributes the coffee seedlings to people in surrounding villages.
“I am a graduate of soil science, I learn from the soil. I have experience," he said around noon in mid-November 2021 in Kugima village.
A villager roasts coffee beans on Wednesday (17/11/2021) in Kugima village of Wolo district, Jayawijaya, Papua.
Sili's skills in cultivating seedlings and processing coffee beans derive from years of experience since 1993. Originally from a hunting community, he used to wear a koteka (penis sheath) and spent most of his time hunting wild animals in the forest.
He was first introduced to coffee plants during a visit from the 1989-1998 Jayawijaya regent, Jos Buce Wenas. Regent Wenas gave Sili some seeds and asked him to plant them. Silly did so. However, the coffee was cultivated at random in the forest, so the results also led to the growth of a number of other "nuisance plants" that made for a harvest that was below the expectation.
On his next visit, Wenas admonished Sili, and then taught him how to grow good coffee by first preparing the land. Each coffee seed must also be planted at a certain distance.
Although he complied with the instructions, Sili still did not understand the real significance or value of coffee plants. One thing that he still remembers and holds to is Regent Wenas’ request to plant as much coffee as possible.
"’Plant a lot. You'll be rich later,’" Sili recalled the then-regent telling him.
Regent Wenas’ words have come true. Sili became known as a direct supplier of quality Arabica coffee beans in Jayawijaya. He did not reveal the exact amount of coffee beans he produced each month or year, but he once produced 100 kilograms of coffee during a single harvest season.
Skills
Sili, who was initially unaware of coffee, is now very skilled at cultivating coffee plants. The coffee farm he manages is maintained very well.
He plants the coffee in raised rows with around 2 meters between each plant.
Weeds and wild vegetation are not allowed to grow on his farm. He prunes his coffee plant neatly. He plants the coffee in raised rows with around 2 meters between each plant.
"If you use rows like these, the coffee plants will not become submerged. The grass that has been cleared, I put back into the [soil]. They will be used as fertilizer," he said.
Sili's coffee, like all coffee products from Papua’s Central Highlands, is free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The plant is cultivated and developed using natural and organic fertilizers.
When the coffee plants start to form berries, the branches are pruned neatly. Coffee plants can begin to produce berries when they are only around 1.5 meters tall.
"If they are not pruned, there will be fewer [cherries]. If it is pruned like this, one tree can produce 6 to 10 kilograms of coffee beans," he said.
He acknowledged he developed his skills in cultivating coffee plants thanks to assistance from local agricultural extension workers. The workers even helped him sell his crops and meet with buyers.
Although he is skilled at cultivating coffee, Sili still uses traditional methods for harvesting and processing the coffee beans into ground coffee. He actually has a number of coffee processing machines, but is often constrained by the limited availability of fuel or electricity.
So he decided to use traditional processing methods, like drying his coffee in the sun.
Likewise, the dried coffee beans are roasted for one hour using only a frying pan over a wood burning stove. During the roasting process, the coffee beans are stirred continuously in the pan so they roast evenly.
“After that, we grind it and package it in plastic. My coffee brand is called Sili-Solman,” he said.
Sili served coffee and boiled sweet potatoes from his garden, which perfectly offset the cold breeze from the valley that afternoon.
He then invited us to talk in front of honai, the traditional house of communities in the Papuan Central Highlands. Sili served coffee and boiled sweet potatoes from his garden, which perfectly offset the cold breeze from the valley that afternoon.
Farmers group
Sili's efforts to develop coffee in Kugima were not done alone. He also invited his neighbors to develop coffee together.
His goal is simple: He wants to lift the people in the surrounding villages from poverty and improve their household economies together through cultivating coffee.
One effort Sili undertook to develop his village was to form a farmers group, the Kugima Farmers Group, which now has a membership of 21 individuals and families.
The farmers group currently manages 8 hectares of land. The coffee farms are scattered across Onggabaga village in Bipiri district and Bugi village in Bugi district.
A resident crosses a makeshift bridge to transport coffee on Wednesday (17/11/2021) in Kugima village of Wolo district, Jayawijaya, Papua.
The Kugima Farmers Group is not only a place that builds a spirit of mutual cooperation, or a place for learning and discussing coffee plants. The group also serves as a forum to realize the people’s aspirations. One of the aspirations they are still fighting to achieve is that the government will focus on the basic infrastructure in their villages.
"Our village does not have a bridge. We hope that the government will soon build a bridge. This will help us bring coffee to the city,” said Sili.
The road that leads to the Sili coffee farming area is around 1 kilometer and is still an unpaved path that crosses a river. There is no permanent access road or river crossing. A temporary bridge was made by suspending a large tree trunk at a height of more than 15 meters above the river. It is this log bridge that Sili, his family and other farmers use to transport sacks filled with coffee beans. (ICH/ILO)
Biography
Name: Sili Gombo
Place/Date of Birth: Kugima Jayawijaya, 12 March 1959
Children:Asantar, Maelina, Seli, Martinus, Siliwur Gombo (deceased)
Position: Chairman, Kugima Farmers Group
