Farmers Empowerment by Jatropha Planting as an Interesting Income Source

June 1, 2006 edition, people-opinion page, the writer wrote “Jatropha Curcas is a cheap, easy, and productive plant to produce biofuel” as a topic of the day. According to the late father of the writer, Jatropha was in the past used as a ‘fence’ of people’s property. Many also used the seeds to produce light since it is smoke-free, smell like burning peanut and if the dried seeds stabbed by a stick, we can use it as candle of 4-6 minutes.

Taking into account the condition of today, oil consumption and price are steadily increase, we will run out of natural oil one day and need to fin a substitute to natural oil. One prospective way is producing bio-oil from Jatropha Curcas. Economically, the cost to produce this kind of oil is lower and the process is easier from any other way. To produce solar, diesel or kerosene for a year consumtion of about 40 million kilo liter, we need about 10 million hectares, or even less, of critical soil in Indonesia. (Tempo, August, 2005).

Jatropha planting booming in Indonesia actually began when the government launch the Government Decision dated October 1, 2005 about the rising price of oil. From this defining moment, the number of poor citizen also increased and in turn resulting in illegal deforestation by some groups of citizen to substitute the oil. While, we have not thought about something near them to substitute this need. The Jatropha which usually grow in the village is the best source since it contains much oil in its seeds, and we can take benefits from all part of a Jatropha tree. Jatropha is processed to be a substitute to natural oil and a good prospect for an income source. We realize that some people in our country are spoiled by the richness of nature in Indonesia. Then does it mean that everything will be easy for us? Of course not. We need accountability somehow, it is the answer to our question, interactively society and Government. What about the oil crisis? Air pollution, deforestation, rapid grow of the population, some people under the poverty line? When oil prices rise, the poverty level of those poor people will also rise. Whereas farms are becoming less by the transformation to housing and industry area, how can critical land amount increase? Many intensification program have been established to increase production, but the reality is, farmers income never increases. From observation, the writer found the fact that as time goes by, the amount of farmers decreases. Next Generation prefers to work in factories, city industry and etc since the degree of income assurance is higher, apart from the thing whether it is enough or not. The amount of youth in village decreases, since many of them move to big cities, and parents who stay as farmers in the village have to work by themselves without the help of their children

From the above problem, the writer is hoping that this article can be a turning point, the beginning of a ‘return-to village’ movement and proposing the plants that can be used in those un-productive land, especially for farmers who want to raise their income by taking benefit from this Jatropha plant. It’s amazing how God create this amazing plant, live and grow even in critical land. In low-level land or high-level land, ready to live, resistant to plant disease in a correct plantation method, we can harvest the fruits in a short time (approximately 5 to 6 months) and still harvest them until the next 50 years.

The benefit farmers can get from planting Jatropha is an income of approximately 4 to 5 million rupiah in the first year. At first, maintenance cost will be quite high. This cost is distributed mainly for land-preparation, survey, lab-analysis, mapping location, buying seeds, planting cost, maintenance, etc. But in the years follow, this cost will decrease gradually. Another benefit we can get from Jatropha, the bio fuel produced from it does not pose gas emission since Jatropha can keep carbon dioxide. In relation to subsidy, we can economize the state’s income if there is no hindrance or obstacle in fulfilling the Indonesia’s need.

If next year all regencies in Indonesia have planted Jatropha, production assumption will be about 4000-5000 liter bio fuel per hectare per year, we can predict the farmers income and then reducing poverty. It is more rationale to allocate money in this way rather than to a direct subsidy.

From a scientific point of view, we have to consider the accountability and responsibility side. The new paradigm explains the interactive accountability model, a responsibility of a public organization to its public. How the organization fulfills the need of its public is responded by the organization itself, and this is started by a direct communication. Then, if there is a same perception, there is no disparity and assumed that public service accountability works. Each party, in this case the public organization and the public, has its own rights and responsibilities. If there is any misperception resulted from a one-way communication, then that means public service accountability has not worked yet. Jatropha plantation to reduce poverty program, will only work when we are using the interactive accountability model.

There is still many abandoned critical lands in Indonesia. If the local government can make innovations in policy-making by cooperating with farmers, practitioners and university, the profit from this Jatropha plantation will be enjoyed by farmers or the societies as well. Public and private sector need a lot of raw material and market certainty can be facilitated by States Company of energy or energy user and private companies, like PT Eterindo Wahanatama Tbk or other companies that use solar as the fuel. (Energi Hijau Journal no:3 1st year Jakarta).

The government’s subsidy is decreasing each day. Head of Pertamina mentioned that cheap alternative fuel can be produced under Rp 2000,00 per liter from Jatropha oil. As an illustration, the State Electricity Company (PLN) needs 12 million kiloliter solar or fuel for one third of its generator, while transportation needs 26 million kiloliter solar, 20 million kiloliter gasoline and 356 billion rupiah to subsidize the oil price.

From the article in Energi Hijau (2006), there are two choices in producing Jatropha oil. The first, processing the Jatropha mechanically by squeezing the seeds into Straight Jatropha Oil (SJO). The cost is quite cheap, Rp 2000,00 per liter, can be used as a substitute to kerosene or heating the steam of electricity generator. The second option is processing SJO as an addition to solar, but in this way the cost will be higher.

Now do we agree, that socializing Jatropha planting will help to reduce poverty? We are hoping that this issue can be realized, supoyo wong cilik biso gemuyu.

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