Going organic: East Timor Prospective (part 2)
As far as I have explained in the first article about going
organic: East Timor prospective, it is a time to look inside about the scenario
that happens in the organic food production in Timor Leste. Here I took an
example of coffee which is one of the main cash crops for Timor Leste farmers
who lives in the mountainous region. In East Timor coffee
production is not really a “farming activity”. It is characterized by being
only a coffee harvesting one. The people involved in it are not engaged in
cropping or farming coffee and do not relate to typical coffee production
principles. They can be referred to as farmers as their involvement with the
crop basically starts and ends with the harvesting season. To understand why
these farmers have not evolved as coffee farmers per se it is necessary
to look into the nature of the events surrounding the coffee scenario.
Introduction
Coffee
was introduced to Timor Leste by Portuguese around 18th Centuries.
This is a commodities become one of the cash crop for most of the Timorese
farmers living in the mountaineous area. Ermera, Aileu, Ainaro, Liquica,
Manufahi and some part Bobonaro are the main coffee growing areas of Timor
Leste. It is believe that when the Portuguese brought coffee to Timor Leste,
Mambai is the ethnic group that mainly responsible for the growing of coffee
because of their habitat. Coffee plantation was ruled by the Portuguese
governor and Timorese were only the servant to look after the coffee
plantation.
However,
after Portuguese left the country in 1974, the coffee plantation is not gained
more income due to the monopoly system by the Indonesian owned company. Two
main companies that owned coffee industry in Timor Leste from 1974 until 1994
was military backed company and all the exported coffee is sending to Indonesia.
Timorese coffee industry occupied by well-known company from USA NCBA which
become the main contractor for coffee industry in Timor Leste. The formation of
Cooperativa Café Timor (CCT) becomes one of the remarkable histories in the coffee
industry of Timor Leste. The struggle of referendum in 1999 not become the
downturn of coffee industry in Timor Leste, however, it become more popular and
become one of the commodity that gain popularity and export earnings after oil
and gas.
More
than 90 % of coffee production takes places in relatively low income and
developing countries such as Timor Leste. All this production is belong to the
five districts of coffee areas in Timor Leste. Ermera, Aileu, Ainaro, Manufahi
and Liquica. Ermera is one of the districts that produce most of the coffee
organic in Timor Leste. According to Ministerio de Agricultura e Pescas (2013)
Ermera is the main production with total 4,615 tonnes of coffee production
which contribute to the total coffee export in Timor Leste. Moreover, other
districts also contribute to the total export of coffee in for about seven
thousand tonnes.
Prospects
of organic coffee
While
the best achievement of our coffee in the world which has gained popularity, we
also need to see the prospect of organic coffee production in the future. Is
this sustainable for long period? As we all know that, coffee become one of the
main cash crops for most of our farmers in the district such as Ermera, Aileu,
Ainaro, Manufahi and some part of Liquica and Bobonaro. The dependency of
coffee for them becomes the heredity and has created a family bond.
Timor
Leste was recently rated at 10 in the world for organic agriculture by the
Newsweek magazine. Agricultural expert with many years of experience in Timor
Leste suggest that the entire country is effectively chemical fertilizers and
pesticides free area. Lack of understanding and basic knowledge on using proper
dosage of chemical may cause harm to the health and often can cause some
chronic health problem for long term.
Timor
Leste ranked 40 in the world for green coffee production according to data by
factfish (2012) with the value as put in the number is 9.000 tonnes and this is
one of the achievements for our coffee industry. However, we can reach the
milestone in the producing greener coffee in the coming future.
Most
of our farmers do not understand about how the money flows in the coffee
industry. According to Lao Hamutuk report(2002) the world coffee sales in 1997
was more than $ 43 billion and only one-third of the revenues received by the
country that produce coffee, and small farmers receive very less amount for
selling their coffee. This indicated that small farmers are not gaining any
profit from the coffee industry. The recent survey study which is funded by the
Australian government found that in Ermera district where the main coffee
production district earned about US$ 250 dollars or less from their annual
coffee harvest.
Challenges
As
the prospects of coffee industry in Timor Leste is more doubt about the
sustainability, maybe it is time to see various challenges that are facing by
our farmers in the production of organic coffee. There are various challenges
that still need to improve in the future in order to maintain one of the income
sources for our family than other crops. Various challenges such as:
1. Lack of understanding in the principle of
organic farming is the main issues. Our coffee farmers are still depending on
the season of harvesting. More time spend on harvesting has influence in the
maintenance of coffee trees. Trees are left unattended and due to this less
green coffee production which will cause downturn to the production of green
husk.
2. Lack
of educational level among our farmers regarding the proper maintenance of
coffee trees also become another issue and challenge for sustainability of
coffee industry in Timor Leste. Most of the farmers are about 50s and still
believe on traditional maintenance of coffee which being heredity by their
ancestor and difficult to adopt a new technology.
3. Fluctuation
of the coffee’s prices is also one of the main factors that contribute to the
failure of organic coffee industry in Timor Leste. Government cannot control the coffee prices
and coffee prices always depend on international market prices. In here we can
divided coffee into high-end coffee and low-end coffee. When coffee at the high
end standard, it can be slightly sells at higher prices; however, when come to
the low end prices, coffee can be purchased at the lower prices.
4. Lack
of proper maintenance for coffee trees. Time spent in the coffee industry by
our farmers is less than time spends in other activities. Only at the
harvesting time, time is allocated more than 95 % from total time spent and
after all, time spend for coffee maintenance can be minimizes due to some other
activities.
5. Lack
of understanding on method of harvesting. For example, farmers are mixing the
ripe and unripe coffee beans, due to this unripe beans are not completely develop
and this impact to the coffee quality especially weight and beans
There
are still many issue about coffee farming in Timor Leste, however, the writer
will focus on these five points. Because according to the observation, Timorese
coffee has gained popularity in the world and this would be a chance for coffee
growers to improve their living in term of economic status.
How
to overcome challenge
We
always believe that, when God send the problems, there is always come along a
solution. As five of the problems that writer discussed earlier regarding
coffee growers, it is time to look one by one of the problems. The first problem
is lack of understanding on principle of organic farming. Training may be the
key to improving the lot of impoverished rural population on the benefits of
coffee. Involvement from government body, institute, and university are the
main motivator for the improvement of farming practices among the farmers.
Secondly,
educational level among the coffee growers can be granted by providing them
proper training that is specifically to the problems they have found.
Government institutes may become source of information because there are many
resources that can help to spread important information to our lovely coffee
farmers. Coffee prices hard to be determined by the government, however, the
contribution of government to control those entrepreneurs in the monopoly of
coffee prices is necessary. Farmers often having lack of information regarding
coffee prices because their aim is to sell all the coffee from their farm
because they can’t keep it for long period.
To
answer the fourth challenges, training should be provides and government
subsidies to the farmers. In general, farmers are feeling unsafe about their
coffee, if pruning on the base of plant (To make new plant) because there is no
source of income to sustain their life for 5-7 years until those coffee
plantation provide beans. So, there should be an alternative source of income
for them to survive. Lack of time spend in the coffee plantation is because
most farmers think that coffee is harvest once or twice a year, so focusing on
other source of income is necessary.
Method
of harvesting coffee also other serious problems that should be consider.
Mixing of unripe and ripe beans may cause decreasing in the quality and often
prices. Proper maintaining of coffee beans from government and related
institute on coffee beans is necessary because farmers are not well understand
about the coffee quality because they are only financially oriented. (Willing
to get money than the quality of product)
Finally,
as a Timorese, I also concern about the prospect of our coffee industry because
coffee is the main cash crops for our people in the five districts. In addition
to that, coffee can be extended to other district because of climatic condition
that favourable for growth and to sustain coffee for long period, contribution
from various related institutes is necessary to achieve better living hood for
our Timorese People. Viva Timor Leste!
References
Hummingfish
foundation (2001). Maubere mountain coffee cooperative development project
Lao
Hamutuk (2002). Issue focus: US government assistance, coffee
Irrish Times (2013). A taste of things to come for subsistence
coffee farmers in Timor Leste http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/a-taste-of-things-to-come-for-subsistence-coffee-farmers-in-timor-leste-1.1569632
Ministerio de Agricultura e Pescas, 2013. Coffee production in
Timor Leste
