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Bener Meriah, Aceh, January 21, 2023 - Amidst the lush coffee trees covering tens of hectares of land, interspersed with red clusters signifying ripe Gayo coffee fruits hanging from the branches, the coffee farmers of Bener Meriah are busy reaping blessings.
The star of Bener Meriah Regency, the Arabica coffee commodity of Gayo variety, holds great value for the local community. The majority of the population, who are farmers by profession, rely on the coffee harvest that comes once every six months to make a living.
Mukiran, a 55-year-old farmer residing in Panji Mulia 1 Village, shared that coffee has been the economic backbone of the village for many years. "Coffee farmers in Bener Meriah have enjoyed the results," Mukiran said with a smile.
Of course, obtaining those results requires the perseverance and determination of coffee farmers in the processing and care processes to produce high-quality and high-grade coffee beans. Consequently, marketing the coffee becomes easier for the farmers.
The coffee plantations managed by Bener Meriah's farmers are generally privately owned. The cultivation techniques still rely heavily on traditional knowledge passed down from generation to generation. "The coffee is still grown in a traditional way. We also apply the latest methods through training," Mukiran explained.
According to him, there are many challenges faced by coffee farmers. One of them is the extreme rainy season, which causes a failed harvest due to the lack of sunlight to dry the coffee beans. "A few months ago, the coffee was damaged because it couldn't be sun-dried," Mukiran said.
Apart from the extreme rainy season, Mukiran has also dealt with misleading issues that led to a decline in coffee prices. "Two years ago, coffee prices plummeted due to rumors of chemical usage, even though it wasn't true," he explained.
Apparently, the unfavorable issues arose because coffee buyers were unable to accommodate the Gayo coffee harvested by Bener Meriah's farmers due to its high price. However, the high price of the coffee is not arbitrary. This is evident from Gayo coffee consistently ranking first in exhibitions and competitions.
In the past, the process of turning coffee fruit into beans was physically demanding and uncertain. However, since the establishment of the Panca Gayo Coffee Cooperative as a supporting institution, the farmers have experienced significant changes.
Munawardi, a man who has been a coffee farmer since the age of 18, expressed his happiness about the benefits brought by the establishment of the Panca Gayo Coffee Cooperative. "With the formation of the Panca Gayo Cooperative, the quality of Gayo coffee can be even better recognized globally," Munawardi said.
Various burdens and worries of the farmers have been lifted. The production process, which used to consume a lot of time and effort, is now made easier with the cooperative that oversees 125 coffee farmers in Bener Meriah. The coffee bean production capacity can reach 700 kg/ha annually.
Zulham, a member of the Bener Meriah Regency Regional People's Representative Council, praised the Gayo coffee commodity cultivated in the regency. He believes that this coffee has many advantages that coffee lovers throughout Indonesia and even the world should taste. One of them is the diverse flavor variants ranging from natural, wine, honey, to specialty, with a rich and sharp coffee flavor. "The potential in Bener Meriah Regency lies in high-quality coffee," Zulham said.
To give Gayo coffee, cultivated by Bener Meriah's farmers, a greater opportunity to be enjoyed by the wider community, the Indonesian Export Financing Institution (LPEI) is ready to provide training and assistance to the coffee farmers in Bener Meriah through the Desa Devisa (Village Export) program. Besides enhancing the potential of Gayo coffee to expand into new markets, the Desa Devisa program aims to improve the economic status and welfare of the rural communities.
"We express our gratitude to LPEI for inaugurating the Desa Devisa program in Bener Meriah Regency. Our hope is to support Gayo coffee farmers in Bener Meriah to enhance the local economy in the future," Munawardi concluded.
Media Contact:
Chesna F. Anwar
Corporate Secretary - Indonesian Export Financing Institution
Ph.: (021) 39503600
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