AREN AND SPEAK presence of resignation from the throne SUGAR CANE SUGAR INDUSTRY NATIONAL

AREN AND SPEAK presence of resignation from the throne SUGAR CANE SUGAR INDUSTRY NATIONAL

By: Dian Kusumanto


In the June 2009 edition of No. 17-23. 3308 Year 39, Tabloid Sinar Tani includes writings about the sugar with the title "Yield Increases, Increasing Sugar Production". There was one paragraph mentioning that, the Government plans to open the sugar plantations, new sugar factories and sugarcane-based industries in some areas.


(Photo left: Mr. President Yudhoyono was inaugurated New Sugar Factory; Right: Mr. Ahmad Manggabarani, Director General of Plantation DEPTAN)


In writing the Director General of Plantation Agriculture, Mr. Ahmad Manggabarani also said that improvements are made to bring Indonesia into sugar exporter in the next 2014 years. During the year 2009, Indonesia has fully meet the needs of self-sufficiency in white crystal sugar for consumption and has stopped the import.

Mr. Dirjenbun also reported that the sugar cane plantation area increased from 427,178 hectares in 2007 to 441,318 hectares in 2009. Production of sugarcane rose from 33.066 million tons in 2007 to 34.756 million tons in 2009. While the productivity of sugarcane had increased from 77.4 tonnes / ha to 78.8 tons / ha.

In 2008 the last year I've been writing about this sort of thing with the title "Sugar Sugar Plant-Based, Why Not? Troublesome is the beginning of our government to force myself to keep making the cane as the main hope of Indonesian sugar production. Simalakama like eating fruit, hard to replace sugar cane as the raw materials of our sugar mills. The Government does not intend to seek as a solution or alternative raw materials other than cane sugar.

Let us try to count and weigh the feasibility of sugar cane as the mainstay of Indonesia. The first of the productivity of the average reached only 78.8 tons / ha, put the word rendemennya reached 10%, then the sugar obtained only about 7.88 tons / ha / season. And our sugar yield is very hard to achieve double-digit numbers that, at most only about 8 - 9%. So, just produces sugar between 6 - 7 tons / ha / season.

The efforts have done too much, the results of research which also is not running again. All to boost the productivity of sugar cane and produce a high-rise. But until now still not able to change the situation, instead of sugar cane productivity was declining. Whereas the old Colonial era around the 1930's sugar cane productivity reaches its peak in the amount of 17 tons of sugar / ha / season.

At that time it could happen because of the cultivation, the colonial party can force to plant sugar cane in the fields of number fields, in the fields of the most fertile, if necessary, planting paddy was diverted and sugar cane crops overlooked. So naturally, the Dutch era enjoyed tremendous results from the sugar cane-based, so they can finance the war, built by squeezing sugar cane country to become sugar. But not only squeezed sugar cane, paddy lands we once fertile prosperous blackmail, manpower is also squeezed our farmers with forced labor. Indeed the Dutch very rude!

After the death of Dutch colonialism and the plantation of sugar cane industry was taken over by the Government of Indonesia which is managed by state-owned sugar cane plantation and sugar factory. New full takeover completed in the 1950s, that is exactly 1957, in case we were independent on August 17, 1945, so new after 12 years of independence we are only able to take it.

(Photo: Sugar Cane Sugar Factory based)
The second cane fields also take over other food. Even now the cane fields are each competing with food crops, with rice fields that should be planted with rice and pulses, in dry fields or fields are also commonly planted with vegetables, beans, potatoes, and even fruit. So the sugar cane land was 441,318 hectares nationwide, in fact all the land to compete with other crops.

I mean this, if the plant can replace the role of Sugar cane to meet the needs and sugar production over the years, the land was the extent of nearly 450 thousand hectares could ditanamai crops, like rice, pulses, beans, vegetables and other food crops which has a higher economic value than the sugarcane.

If every acre of land in one year can be planted with rice two seasons and one season with crops such as 6 tons of rice and 4 tons of corn, so there is extra food from the 450 hectares, ie 2.7 tons of rice and 1.8 million tons of corn. This is a very significant opportunity to support the adequacy of food and feed raw materials and reduce dependence on imported food and feed ingredients.

From the farmers' acceptance of any sugar cane farming has also lost to other food commodities. Only to farmers who do not have the capital, the easiest option is to turn it over to others for planting sugar cane, and later farmers live have the results, although not much. If for other commodity farming itself is less capital, although the results were higher. This situation is experienced by many petan land should be handed over to the sugar cane plantations and sugar factories or-KUD KUD. Actually, if farmers have the capital and labor in their farming business must choose another commodity that is more profitable.

So what Sugar can be processed into white sugar? For this my brother Slamet Mr. Solomon is proved by means of the sugar factory machinery minuscule. Mini sugar factories with raw materials is established palm juice, among others in South Minahasa. Experiment to produce white sugar has been successfully done. That means it does not matter if the palm juice is processed into white sugar.

But the calculation is not profitable because for processing into white sugar requires more material, a process cycle is longer and more complicated. Thus production costs are much higher, the value of the conversion ratio of raw materials into finished products smaller. Viewed from the selling price is not much different between white sugar and brown sugar traditional. But if the white sugar very large market share and not as limited, as long as it's sugar demand is dominated by white sugar.

In contrast to the brown sugar or brown sugar from palm plant, which has not become a mass product because of the diversity of its products world wide and open. Selling price is also very diverse. As if the price can be created in such a way depending on the brand or the brand owner. Market share because it's not too broad.

Unlike the Sugar Maple tree. In the original State of Canada and northern America, the sugar is mostly in liquid form, the form of maple syrup from the tree, or often referred to as the Maple Syrup. There actually lost the popular white sugar with Maple Syrup. White sugar derived from sugar cane is considered a low level, the less nutritional value. Even considered mastermind of pure white sugar diabetes worldwide. Therefore they prefer to Maple Syrup from the Sugar White was originally from Brazil.

Trend shift consumption patterns of white sugar from sugar to a sugar crystal is a liquid or syrup is happening outside the country. Japan, Korea, Europe like the Netherlands and Germany also have long evolving pattern of sugar consumption. In the country itself is too long to happen, especially in food and beverage industry. So the trend sooner or later it will happen, this means we must anticipate the preparation of our palm sugar industry is also leading to a liquid sugar or Palm Sugar Syrup, Coconut Sugar Syrup etc..

If the actual potential seen Aren who have a great chance to replace the role of sugar as raw sugar or sweetening matter. For Aren has the greatest productivity, the highest in producing sugar. Aren in each hectare could yield up to 77 tons of sugar per / year / hectare. How did it happen? Description as follows:
a. In one hectare planted 200 trees Aren.
b. After 6-7 years of water can be harvested sap from about 75% of the population of trees, or 150 trees. Or is there a 25% tree produces sap rest.
c. If the production of palm wine is an average of 10 liters / phon / day, then the resulting juice is 10 liters / tree x 150 trees / ha = 1500 liters / hectare / day.
d. If to make 1 kg of sugar palm juice needed 7 liters, so if all the juice will be processed sugar as much: 1500 liters / ha / day: 7 liters / kg = 214.3 kg / ha / day.
e. Sugar productivity of each hectare garden Aren is:
Every day: 214.3 kg / day;
Every month: 6428.6 kg / month;
Every year: 77,142.8 kg / year; or 77 tons / year.

Advantages not only in the aspect of productivity, as a matter of the above, but also many advantages in other aspects, namely:
a. By replacing sugar with Aren, the land diperlukanlebih little (like sepuluhnya) we are able to meet the national self-sufficiency in sugar.
b. Factory production continuity running throughout the year, and manufacturers no breaks because the raw materials available koninyu every day throughout the year. Based on the Sugar Cane Factory usually only operate for about 150 days or 5 months of the year, mean 7 years did not operate the plant.
c. Development investment costs based sugar factory Aren much cheaper than cane-based sugar factory. Even if the factory had been built too large, the people of the sugar industry was able to overcome the problem of processing the raw materials produced by the community.
d. Cane land is now also compete with food crops. So in an era where food security is a priority both for government programs, or market demand continues to increase. So sooner or later expected to commodity Cane pressed by economic and political impetus to the stronger.
e. Aren different plants are very flexible, can be planted on sloping land, hillside slopes, banks, the former had left the forest, or land that previously was not productive. So with the presence of plants can make Palm more productive land and double as rescue environments and landslide prevention.
f. Dll.

So living will and political awareness, which will change the national sugar industry policy was originally emigrated from made from raw sugar cane at the plantation-based sugar factory Aren. So before the compulsion in the policy change, should be conscious that policy makers take the baton of command to gradually prepare the resignation of the cane sugar industry in the throne of national industry. And to prepare everything to meet the Sugar plantations which appear in the highest throne of our national sugar industry.