TREATING THE AREN

TREATING THE AREN

By: Ir. Dian Kusumanto

Sunday morning (27/9/2009) writer visited one of the courtyard garden in village residents Mansapa Nunukan, namely Mr. Said (35 years). As citizens of the state border he had also worked in the garden of a citizen of Malaysia, in the region Kubota, Tawau. Negeri Sabah Section 4.5 stone from Tawau town.

In the 90 years ago he saw a Malaysian citizen Bugis Aren growing in the middle of cocoa plantations. Aren seeds brought from South Sulawesi, exactly Enrekang. Enrekang are known as endemic areas large enough Aren and more. Many people who cultivate Enrekang Aren niranya to be taken as raw sugar print.

Sugar plants that he saw very good growth and fertility, is planted with a spacing such as palm oil, even more tightly. Nurture their owners with a common fertilizer used for crops of cocoa and palm oil, they call it 'Baja Subur'. Fertile steel is actually a type of NPK fertilizer 15-15-15. Sugar plant fertilization is done by making a hole / small trench around the stump is about 1 meter from the tree.

Mr. Said did not have time to see the further development of the plant in Batu Aren 4.5 Tawau region's Kubota. But he believes fertility, plant growth speed with which different Aren he planted without any treatment.

In Nunukan Mansapa Aren he also planted in the garden courtyard. However, unlike the condition that he witnessed in Tawau time. He planted in the middle Aren other plants in the garden, after Mr. Said's rather large and clean, cut the other planting around the tree Aren. After getting enough sunlight looks Arennya plants grow faster. Unlike the Sugar plant that grows under other trees. With sufficient sunlight palm leaves look more fresh and shiny. This is a good sign of palm trees.

"If not cleaned up around the plants grow fast enough Aren", said Mr. Said. Pak said also do the cleaning rod fibers that enveloped Aren. With the cleansing treatment of the early plant growth much faster palm, stems become larger in diameter.

As Mr. Said, in the village of Sei Ceramics Mansapa village there is also Abu Mohammed (60 years) he was the chairman of RW 01. In accompany Mr. Amiruddin (39) Chairman of Farmers Group Life Together, to talk with the author about his experience managing Sugar plant at young age when he was still in his village in Sulawesi.

Mr. Mohammed comes from Sinjai South Sulawesi, while the pack Amiruddin from Bone. Small time Mr. Muhammad in Sinjai he was always helping their parents care and tap sap Aren. Cook and make sugar. So he knew perfectly well how to manage the Palm trees by the time his parents.

Left in the village had no sugar crops had been treated well. If one is care 'at best' basic cleaning and grass cutting of trees that shaded Aren. That was done when the plants begin to grow Palm's rather large. Other treatment before the plants change is clear trees from the surrounding fibers palm stems and cut the bottom leaves that look less healthy.




In Nunukan he tried applying these treatments to the existing Sugar plant in her garden. With clean anyway from other plants and waste fibers from the beginning of growth, seen planting faster growing sugar. The experience he had ever seen in Mung Hall, Tawao when he worked in Malaysia, there are palm trees that have fruit in 4-5 years age, because the plant's treated like dengann very intensive treatment plants and Cocoa Palm.

Mr. Muhammad is believed that the early accumulation and disposal of maintenance and cleaning of fibers and garden plant sugar that protects from a palm plant bear fruit quickly. He had witnessed the Tawao on people's gardens malaysia Bugis who at the age of 4-5 years had started to bear fruit. When seedlings are both from South Sulawesi, too.

If good pemeliharaanya produced faster than all the armpit leaves will issue bunches flowers. Thus harvest maasa Aren also longer. "Aren be tapped during niranya until 5-8 years", said Abu Mohammed, a nice bunch of flowers, large and can be wired up to a long 6 months. Bugged out before the water cluster has appeared at times other bunches ready for tapping. So as if there is no time to stop production Aren plants during the 5-8 years.

Bunches of flowers are very good at producing enough juice on the cut even very thin, as thin as paper. Sometimes by scraping or rubbing the cut surface of the stem, the water can sap pouring out again. In the village there used to be one of the plants that have leaves with rough surfaces such as paper rubbing (sandpaper). Leaf was used to rub the cut surface of the palm's stem connections. He forgot what the name of the plant. Hence, it can take a bunch niranya to 6 months.

Mr. Muhammad also said that not all bunches good results, there are only a few weeks already stopped out sap. According to a way of stimulating stem palm should also be noted as:
1) When time began to shake bunches
2) How to rock the bunches
3) How to hit the cluster
4) Start cutting bunches are ready to remove sap

When started shaking bunches niranya males to be taken when the flowers are already starting to look yellow juice powder, juice powder and even fall so yellow that falls on the surface of the soil. It was then that shook and filled bunches do old people always do that even with feeling, as if he were to seduce in order to remove the tree sap with a rush of water, like like asking a mother which will produce milk for her child.

Time to cut the bunches are usually marked with the number of bees or insects that surround this cluster. As if cluster has issued a special scent 'pheromone' as a sign that the sweet sap water was already coming out. Cutting bunches it was still waiting period is usually tailored to the circumstances of seawater. At the peak tide sea water, that's when it was done cutting bunches. Their hopes that the water will overflow like the sea when the tide reached its peak.

Usually when the Moon is in containing the date or the date of 14-15 while the 22-hour notice to cut the top stem tide of sea water is usually during the day. This is believed Kebiasaanya down-down even when he's not in his village. He believes this to be a parent teaching copied and preserved because it has been proven.

Mr. Muhammad and Mr. Amiruddin also agreed that each cluster has the same opportunities a lot of sap depends on:
1) How to care in bunches before tapping and during tapping.
2) The provision of adequate fertilizer at the time before and after tapping a periodic
3) Health, including the number of tree leaves, medical leaves, etc..

He seemed to have denied the claims or assumptions that have been developed that further down, bunches of flowers will spend less sap water. Mr Mohammed denied, because if the treatment is done by a tree and a good way to spend bunches of palm with a stable water well above the cluster of clusters until the very bottom.

But to assert that he understood. Because of the above conditions can occur if the planters did not Aren good treatment, which is even easy to cut leaves. If the leaf sap the less water will also decrease. Because if the trees were grown Aren indicated that the tree is flowering, the new leaves will not grow again. Therefore, leaves should be saved and there are best preserved, not easily cut the leaves without good reason.

He therefore suggested that the leaves do not cut continuously. Unless it is not healthy leaf is viewed from a dirty color is not bright or dull because of a fungus that clung like 'phlegm' or 'scab' on human skin. The leaves are dull and unhealthy is because we are late with a garden hygiene (sanitation) of the tree that shaded leaves of plants Aren. Therefore the garden hygiene should be done from the beginning, since the plant started out ijuknya sugar.




"Planting Sugar should not be half the battle", so said Mr. Muhammmad and Mr. Amiruddin. If a bit in fact make the problem because people will make a wine for drinking alone. We recommend that if Aren grown in significant amounts would bring good because it can make brown sugar. If all the sugar made it will be very good for the community economy. Especially if the local government to make special laws that set the Palm sap does not run into the liquor that made mudhorot for society itself.

It would be nice if you later Aren enough, established a buying cooperative and accommodating sap from sugar palm plantation owners and manage the sugar. Thus, farmers do not bother anymore for timber and cook it. All will be managed by cooperatives to the quality of palm sugar can be more uniform and good quality. If the processing performed by the farmers, concerned about the quality not guaranteed, and consequently the market price will fall and can not compete with sugar from other regions.

Mr. Muhammad hopes Aren has become a government program for the spirit of community in working on it. Even if there are cost and the seed he plans to open a sugar plantation covering 20 hectares on the land in Island County Iting-iting Nunukan. He opened up if there is going to partner with him it will be followed by other citizens with a broader land again. As community leaders it is easy for Mr. Mohammed to bring citizens together to plant Aren.

If there is serious he and his group could open up hundreds of hectares of plantations on the island of Iting-iting it. Author's knowledge of the island area Iting-iting more than 1,500 ha are ready to open the garden.

Hayo ... Who is interested in investment or cooperation?