Cashew appetite
by Riska Damayanti
When I first came to Larantuka mid-March this year, I was thinking ‘this town is beautiful!’ It’s hard to ignore the view of the fishermen’s boats floating around the clear blue sea on one side and the imposing Ile Mandiri (Ile means ‘mountain’) standing tall on the other; with houses, churches, offices and schools sitting neatly at the bottom. We were on a 15km drive from the airport to our rented house, and I remember admiring the bright sky with its pure white clouds. Coming from the crowded city of Jakarta, I was amazed to see how quiet Larantuka was. Nobody was in a rush. And everyone had time to stop and greet you with their genuine smiles.
Larantuka’s most lucrative crops are cashew, coconut, cocoa, candlenut and coffee. The sub-district produces 658.12 tonnes of cashew per year (2015, Biro Statistik) — the largest commodity for the region. While, just 176.94 tonnes per year are produced of the second biggest commodity, coconut. Cashew nuts come from a whole kernel that is attached to a fruit — called a cashew apple. Farmers harvest cashews by collecting the fruits that have already fallen from the trees, then separating the whole kernel from the fruit. The fruit itself is very sweet and juicy, with a hint of astringency. While it currently has little or no economic value, farmers use it to fertilise their plantations, feed their livestock, to make juice or even alcoholic beverages.
At the beginning of harvest season the price of whole cashews is very high. However, it decreases parallel to the increase in available stock as the season moves on. This year the highest price was 25,000 Rp. per kilogram (US $1.90), but we haven’t yet seen the lowest price. Each farmer can produce about 500 kg to one ton of cashews. It seems like a great number, but most farmers are actually in debt to middlemen. Apart from daily expenses, farmers also need to pay tuition fees for their children and other costs associated with family weddings or funeral ceremonies. At these financially pressing times, they will often take hard cash that is offered by middlemen. In return for the cash, farmers pledge to repay them with the commodities they produce. However, when the middlemen value the farmers’ commodities at lower than the market price, the debt can remain unpaid for years.
On the other hand, farmers know that they can get more income by producing and selling processed white cashew kernel. However, few farmers know how to actually process the nut or where to sell it. This is exactly why Kopernik has launched their new initiative Depot Desa (or Village Depot).
Kopernik’s first Depot Desa is located inside a plantation at Desa Pajinian, West Adonara. At this processing facility there is a solar dryer structure, and a room with cashew processing tools. The ‘kacip’ is a wooden tool with a levered machete and a special notch that is used to open the cashew shell. While the kacip looks quite simple, cashew nuts are quite difficult to extract from the shell without breaking the nut, which reduces its value. The farmers need to learn the right technique to be able to produce whole cashew nut. If you’re not careful, as I experienced on my attempt, you will end up with only one whole cashew out of every five attempts.
So, we approached farmers to learn how to process cashews and we organised training sessions for them. The goal was to build the skill sets of farmers in shelling, peeling and drying their cashews. Additionally, we aimed to help provide access to new markets for selling their produce. We invited Om Ebiet — a leading local cashew farmer who has 16 years experience selling cashew nuts in the region — as a trainer. Over the years, he and his group from Ile Padung village have successfully promoted and sold their high quality product both locally and internationally. Om Ebiet has been deeply involved in the cashew production and selling process, starting with just few kilograms of cashew packed in plastic and sealed with candlelight many years ago. The farmers were excited to complete the training with his guidance. And by the end of the second day, they were skilled enough to produce some tasty garlic flavoured cashew nuts!
It will take a lot of effort for farmers to become independently capable of completing the whole process from fruit collection to sale. Even after mastering the kacip tool there is still much to learn, including packaging, maintaining stable supply for the buyers, managing finances, and ensuring the product quality remains high. There will definitely be hurdles along the way. But we believe that even a few small steps towards a life with less debt for farmers is worthwhile. A life with higher income will help them provide their children with a better education. And we believe there will be more local heroes in this region like Om Ebiet. Those that can lead other farmers and help them have the courage to take on new opportunities. Those that will present Larantuka’s cashews to the world.
Want to hear more from our Depot Desa initiative? Listen to Kopernik’s new podcast Dispatch from the Last Mile to hear stories direct from Larantuka, Indonesia.
Depot Desa Larantuka is supported by Polish Aid.
