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*Family business: A local farmer and his family peel nutmeg in Air Besar hamlet in the West Papuan regency of Fakfak on Nov. 14. Farmers sell nutmeg beans at Rp 50,000 (US$3.50) per kilogram and flowers Rp 205,000 per kg.(Antara/Gusti Tanati)*

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Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) chairman Bahlil Lahadalia announced on Nov. 23 a plan by a Dutch company to develop 40,000 hectares of plantation in the West Papuan regencies of Fakfak and Kaimana.  A month later, The Jakarta Post quoted a BKPM statement as saying that “the firm is committed to working with local nutmeg farmers in West Papua and providing technology for the nutmeg stripping, drying and cleaning process” and that “the cooperation will potentially employ 50,000 Indonesian nutmeg farmers”.

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The details of the investment have yet to be made public and questions linger as to how the project will affect indigenous peoples and their forests.

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In fact, 86 percent of land in Fakfak is covered by natural forests. The Mbham Mbhatta people, the customary owners of the forests, harvest the nutmeg that grows naturally in the forests just as they do other non-timber forest products. The nutmeg forest gardens form part of a rich and diverse forest mosaic covering the regency.

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Responsible investment in West Papua is most welcome, but it is worth discussing the potential risks to the people and natural environment from the expansion of plantations.

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For thousands of years, the spice trade has connected the archipelago of what is now Indonesia to the rest of the world. One of its main spices is nutmeg. According to British anthropologist Roy Ellen, the original nutmeg traded was not Bandanese nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), but long nutmeg (Myristica argentea Warb) from Papua. Papuan nutmeg, also known as pala tomandin, grows in the forests of Fakfak and Kaimana in West Papua.

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Bandanese nutmeg is better known than Papuan nutmeg, particularly in Europe. In Indonesia, for instance, the government currently bases its national standard for nutmeg on the characteristics and properties of Bandanese nutmeg. So, all nutmeg exported is assumed to be Bandanese nutmeg as they share the same HS Code, a code used by customs authorities around the world for applying duties and taxes on internationally traded products.

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Often perceived as inferior to Bandanese nutmeg, Papuan nutmeg has different chemical components, creating a unique flavor and fragrance. However, its potential is still largely untapped. Only recently has the government begun revising the national standard for nutmeg to accommodate Papuan nutmeg.

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Farmers in Fakfak harvest nutmeg twice a year and sell it to informal traders who then supply it to regional traders. The price is set by a small number of regional traders who form an oligopoly. Farmers prefer to sell nutmeg raw for quick cash. They also spend a lot of money for the harvest as it is an important ceremony for the Mbham Mbhatta. Locals use nutmeg as currency and collateral for daily necessities or other expenses.

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Adding a sole foreign investor on top of the current noncompetitive local nutmeg market without terms and conditions protecting indigenous nutmeg farmers can increase the vulnerability of farmers. An abrupt intervention and transformation in the nutmeg market will leave indigenous farmers, who produce and process nutmeg traditionally, behind.

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At some point, given the inefficiencies of traditional production, indigenous farmers may be excluded from the nutmeg supply chain.

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As the region’s nutmeg is not cultivated, the yield is currently relatively low and the quantity and quality of the Papuan nutmeg supply is not consistent. Changing harvest and post-harvest practices of farmers to improve the quality and quantity of nutmeg should be done through farmers’ groups.

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However, the majority of Papuan nutmeg farmers do not belong to any farmers’ groups, and support is needed to increase participation in – and the management of – farmers’ groups.

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Currently, there is no comprehensive data on traditional farmers. Kaleka, together with AKAPe, a local NGO based in Fakfak, has mapped 1,268 hectares of nutmeg forest gardens belonging to 659 farmers. This only covers 36 of the 142 villages in Fakfak. Without proper data, we can only guess the total potential yield and productivity of Papuan nutmeg in the regencies of Fakfak and Kaimana.

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An industrialized agricultural commodity always brings risks to a society and its natural environment as it competes with other land uses, including forest conservation. There are four important risks that should be considered by potential investors.

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First, any investment in the nutmeg industry in Papua should improve the production of the native variety of Papuan nutmeg (Myristica argentea Warb), rather than introducing Bandanese nutmeg (Myristica fragrans). Efforts to improve the production should preserve the ecological function of forests, and no forests should be cleared for new planting of nutmeg.

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Second, the rights of indigenous farmers to the land should be acknowledged. Contractual arrangements for the production and sale of nutmeg to commercial entities should not diminish these ownership rights.

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Third, the prospective investor should avoid establishing a plantation but should rather purchase nutmeg from indigenous farmers. Contracts should be made directly with producer organizations, such as indigenous farmer groups, based on fair prices and terms.

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Fourth, investments should be made in downstream industries located in the regencies, which could include packaging and branding of raw spices, processing of fruits and facilities for extracting essential and fixed oils and oleoresins. Further processing of these extracts into consumer goods and cosmetics will provide greater employment opportunities for local people.

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*\*\*\* The writer is executive director of Kaleka, an Indonesian nonprofit research institute, who has a PhD in Environmental Management and Development from the Australian National University.*

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*This article has been published on The Jakarta Post and can be seen at the following link:*

*<https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2020/12/29/a-sustainable-pathway-for-papuan-nutmeg.html>*

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*Usaha keluarga: Seorang petani lokal dan keluarganya mengupas buah pala di Dusun Air Besar, Kabupaten Fakfak, Papua Barat, pada 14 November. Petani menjual biji pala dengan harga Rp 50.000 (US$3,50) per kilogram dan bunga pala Rp 205.000 per kg. (Antara/ Gusti Tanati)*

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Ketua Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia mengumumkan pada 23 November rencana perusahaan Belanda untuk mengembangkan 40.000 hektar perkebunan di Kabupaten Fakfak dan Kaimana di Papua Barat.

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Sebulan kemudian, The Jakarta Post mengutip pernyataan BKPM yang mengatakan bahwa “perusahaan berkomitmen untuk bekerja sama dengan petani pala lokal di Papua Barat dan menyediakan teknologi untuk proses pengupasan, pengeringan, dan pembersihan pala” dan bahwa “kerjasama tersebut berpotensi mempekerjakan 50.000 petani pala Indonesia”.

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Rincian investasi belum diumumkan dan masih ada pertanyaan tentang bagaimana proyek tersebut akan mempengaruhi masyarakat adat dan hutan mereka.

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Faktanya, 86 persen lahan di Fakfak ditutupi oleh hutan alam. Masyarakat Mbham Mbhatta, pemilik adat hutan, memanen pala yang tumbuh secara alami di hutan seperti halnya hasil hutan non-kayu lainnya. Kebun hutan pala merupakan bagian dari mosaik hutan yang kaya dan beragam di kabupaten tersebut.

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Investasi yang bertanggung jawab di Papua Barat amat disambut baik, tetapi ada baiknya membahas potensi risiko terhadap masyarakat dan lingkungan alam akibat perluasan perkebunan.

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Selama ribuan tahun, perdagangan rempah-rempah telah menghubungkan kepulauan yang sekarang disebut Indonesia dengan dunia. Salah satu rempah utamanya adalah pala. Menurut antropolog Inggris Roy Ellen, pala asli yang diperdagangkan bukanlah pala Banda (Myristica fragrans), melainkan pala panjang (Myristica argentea Warb) dari Papua. Pala Papua, juga dikenal sebagai pala tomandin, tumbuh di hutan Fakfak dan Kaimana di Papua Barat. Pala Banda lebih dikenal daripada pala Papua, khususnya di Eropa.

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Di Indonesia, misalnya, pemerintah saat ini mendasarkan standar nasional pala pada karakteristik dan sifat pala Banda. Jadi, semua pala yang diekspor diasumsikan sebagai pala Banda karena memiliki Kode HS yang sama, yakni kode yang digunakan oleh otoritas pabean di seluruh dunia untuk menerapkan bea masuk dan pajak pada produk yang diperdagangkan secara internasional.

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Sering dianggap lebih rendah kualitasnya dari pala Banda, pala Papua memiliki komponen kimia yang berbeda, menciptakan rasa dan aroma yang unik. Akan tetapi, potensinya sebagian besar masih belum dimanfaatkan. Baru belakangan ini pemerintah mulai merevisi standar nasional pala untuk mengakomodasi pala Papua.

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Petani di Fakfak memanen pala dua kali setahun dan menjualnya ke pedagang informal yang kemudian memasoknya ke pedagang daerah. Harga ditentukan oleh sejumlah kecil pedagang daerah yang membentuk oligopoli. Petani lebih suka menjual pala mentah untuk mendapatkan uang cepat. Mereka juga menghabiskan banyak uang untuk panen karena merupakan upacara penting bagi masyarakat Mbham Mbhatta. Penduduk setempat menggunakan pala sebagai mata uang dan jaminan untuk kebutuhan sehari-hari atau pengeluaran lainnya.

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Menambahkan investor asing tunggal (selain pasar pala lokal yang tidak kompetitif) tanpa syarat dan ketentuan yang melindungi petani pala asli dapat meningkatkan kerentanan petani saat ini. Intervensi dan transformasi yang tiba-tiba di pasar pala akan menyebabkan petani komunitas adat, yang memproduksi dan mengolah pala secara tradisional, tertinggal.

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Pada titik tertentu, mengingat inefisiensi produksi tradisional, petani komunitas adat dapat dikeluarkan dari rantai pasokan pala.

Karena pala daerah tersebut tidak dibudidayakan, hasilnya saat ini relatif rendah serta kuantitas dan kualitas pasokan pala Papua tidak konsisten. Perubahan pola panen dan pasca panen petani untuk meningkatkan kualitas dan kuantitas pala harus dilakukan melalui kelompok tani.

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Akan tetapi, mayoritas petani pala Papua tidak tergabung dalam kelompok tani. Diperlukan dukungan untuk meningkatkan partisipasi – dan kepengurusan – kelompok tani.

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Currently, there is no comprehensive data on traditional farmers. Kaleka, together with AKAPe, a local NGO based in Fakfak, has mapped 1,268 hectares of nutmeg forest gardens belonging to 659 farmers. This only covers 36 of the 142 villages in Fakfak. Without proper data, we can only guess the total potential yield and productivity of Papuan nutmeg in the regencies of Fakfak and Kaimana.

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Komoditas pertanian industri selalu membawa risiko bagi masyarakat dan lingkungan alamnya karena bersaing dengan penggunaan lahan lainnya, termasuk konservasi hutan. Terdapat empat risiko penting yang harus diperhatikan oleh calon-calon investor.

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Pertama, setiap investasi dalam industri pala di Papua harus meningkatkan produksi pala asli Papua (Myristica argentea Warb), ketimbang memperkenalkan pala Banda (Myristica fragrans). Upaya peningkatan produksi harus menjaga fungsi ekologis hutan, dan tidak boleh membuka hutan untuk penanaman pala baru.

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Kedua, hak-hak petani adat atas tanah harus diakui. Pengaturan kontrak untuk produksi dan penjualan pala kepada entitas komersial tidak boleh mengurangi hak kepemilikan ini.

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Ketiga, calon investor sebaiknya menghindari membangun perkebunan tetapi dan memilih membeli pala dari petani komunitas adat. Kontrak harus dibuat langsung dengan organisasi produsen, seperti kelompok tani adat, berdasarkan harga dan persyaratan yang wajar.

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Keempat, penanaman modal di industri hilir yang berada di kabupaten, yang dapat mencakup pengemasan dan branding rempah mentah, pengolahan buah-buahan dan fasilitas untuk mengekstraksi minyak atsiri dan minyak lemak (fixed oil) serta oleoresin. Pengolahan lebih lanjut ekstrak ini untuk menjadi barang konsumsi dan kosmetik akan membuka kesempatan kerja yang lebih besar bagi masyarakat lokal.

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*\*\*\* The writer is executive director of Kaleka, an Indonesian nonprofit research institute, who has a PhD in Environmental Management and Development from the Australian National University.*

*Tulisan ini sudah dimuat di The Jakarta Post dan dapat dilihat pada link berikut ini:*

*<https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2020/12/29/a-sustainable-pathway-for-papuan-nutmeg.html>*