Economic development in Papua, before the establishment of four new provinces, was continuously dominated by the mining sector in Mimika Regency. Efforts to improve the economy through the non-mining sector continue to be carried out even though quantity-wise it still has not obtained significant results. Of the several existing commodities, coffee is one of the commodities that continues to be pursued as a driver for improving the welfare of the Papuan people, especially in the highlands.
The Bank Indonesia Papua Representative Office, for the last 7 years, has held the Papua Coffee Festival six times. Senior Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia, Destry Damayanti, who attended the 2023 Papua Coffee Festival, said that coffee plantations in Papua encompassed only 13,991 hectares with a total production of 2,799 tons per year. Based on this data, the contribution of coffee plantations in Papua to the national is only 1.09 percent and the share of coffee production in Papua to the national total is 0.35 percent.
“However, this illustrates that there is still a very big opportunity to continue to develop the coffee industry in Papua given the very high potential of Papua Coffee,” said Destry, in Jayapura, Friday (4/8/2023).
Although the quantity is still very small, Destry said that Papua Coffee beans are in demand by national and international markets because they have a unique taste. Therefore, the development of plantation areas is expected to continue to be carried out so that the quality of Papua Coffee can be accompanied by the quantity factor.
“On the other hand, we also need to look at the quality side, considering that coffee from Papua is dominated by Arabica coffee with premium quality. Arabica coffee from Papua comes from the highlands of Papua, namely Jayawijaya, Yahukimo, Paniai, Lanny Jaya and others,” she said.
Interest from Japan
The renown of Papuan coffee which is dominated by Arabica coffee beans has apparently reached foreign markets. It’s just that the interest can’t be matched by the availability of the stock. Glorio Ledang. owner of the Papua Coffee Journal said that he had communicated several times with prospective buyers from abroad, but it was unable to be realized until now due to the quantity factor.
“I collaborated with traders last year, we tried for one year but we didn’t get the quota,” he admitted.
While currently, there are already several prospective buyers who, nominally speaking, are tempting. But again, the inconsistent state of coffee bean stocks means that the demands still cannot be met.
“Most coffee buyers are now companies from Japan. As buyers from abroad they buy by the ton. When it comes to prices, Japanese buyers never bargain,” Rio said.
Rio, who regularly buys coffee beans from Pegunungan Bintang and Lanny Jaya regencies, explained that the taste of Papuan coffee beans is in great demand by foreign markets. This is what he considers as a great opportunity to be able to uplift the economy of coffee farmers who are generally in mountainous areas. “Buyers always say that Papua Coffee is good, it tastes unique, more complex and richer,” he said.
Papua’s Local Coffee Market
Due to Papuan coffee beans being spread across several districts, it is not merely difficult to meet national or international market demand, but sometimes also insufficient for the local one. Reza Prayoga, owner of Kopi Djuang, explained that since its establishment in 2019, he has always tried to use local coffee beans, but there are times when his place of business has to use products from outside Papua due to the lack of local coffee bean stocks. He said that currently the amount of coffee bean supply from within Papua has begun to improve even though it cannot be sold overseas due to worries of insufficient stock. “There have been buyers from outside Papua who have contacted me, but I haven’t sold to them, I still want to meet my needs at my own shop first,” Yoga said.
Despite already having a coffee bean roaster, he is still trying to meet market needs in Jayapura because the supply of Papuan coffee beans has been inconsistent. “The average monthly usage at Djuang Coffee is 100 kg, the rest is bought by other coffee shops in Jayapura, Timika and Jayawijaya,” he said. Currently Yoga brings coffee beans from several regions, namely Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, Pegunungan Bintang and Yahukimo. To expand his business, he has also started selling coffee beans in small packages that are usually bought as souvenirs. According to him, quite a lot of people who want to go to Jakarta or other areas, contact him to find Papuan coffee beans to be used as souvenirs. This is because the taste of coffee beans from Papua is well known for its quality so that coffee lovers are very happy when given souvenirs in the form of Papuan coffee beans.
“Indeed, coffee beans from Papua are extraordinary compared to other regions in Indonesia, the taste is unique, now often bought for souvenirs,” Yoga admitted.
Improving Peoples’ Welfare
Most people in the mountainous region of Papua still depend on produce. Apart from the difficulty of transportation access, the lack of employment is also the cause. When Papuan coffee began to be known in the wide market, new hope emerged for its farmers, as recognized by Moses Jigibalom. So far Moses has served buyers from Jakarta and Kalimantan, although most of its coffee beans are absorbed by the market in Jayapura. He who is only 29 years old, admitted that he has been focusing for several years on being a farmer and coffee collector in Lanny Jaya. According to him so far his economic condition continues to improve because no matter how many coffee beans he produces and collects, there are always buyers.
“We can reach 2 tons in the form of grain one year, after processing the amount is about 1 ton. All the stock we have is bought, so if there is an increase in production everything is absorbed,” Moses said. He admitted that now his life is more settled because of coffee. “To support a family from coffee, has become a reality, it is more than enough for my daily life as long as we focus on coffee work,” he said.
But he also worries about the future existence of coffee plantations. This is because coffee farmers in Other Jaya are elderly people who are over 40 years old. The younger generation, or their peers, Moses sees as still more interested in pursuing other professions, such as civil servants or politicians.
“Now coffee farmers in Lanny Jaya are generally older people, who are not the same age as me, you could say I am the youngest,” he said.
Moses also hopes that the government can be more proactive in its involvement with farmers so that coffee can soon become an industry that can attract young people. In addition, he also asked the government to be able to help the needs of farmers, especially coffee farmers. Because Lanny Jaya is a mountainous area located more than 2,000 meters above sea level, farmers really need rocks where coffee beans are dried.
“Actually, in Tiom (Lanny Jaya) the land is very fertile, but the government has never directly paid attention to farmers. Currently everything is moving independently, we really need a coffee drying place because farmers not only grow coffee, but also other produce, while here the rainfall is quite high, “said Moses.
To Moses, improving the community’s welfare must be the main focus of the government, especially for those who live in remote areas whose infrastructure is still lagging behind other regions in Indonesia. With government intervention, he believes coffee in Lanny Jaya can become an industry that will have an impact on other sectors of life so that people in remote areas of Papua can truly feel equal to other communities in Indonesia.
West Papua Now 