Agricom.id, SALATIGA – Vanilla hit the glory in 1980s. In the period, it was very expensive and called as the ‘green gold’ in the markets. For it was getting cheaper, many farmers cut off the vanilla from their plantations.

As it gets more expensive, better cultivation, and process, ministry of agriculture encouraged develop vanilla again. Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo targeted that the exports of the commodities, such as, coffee, coconut, pepper, nutmeg, and vanilla should be triple increasing in the next five years. It is formulated in Gerakan Tiga Kali Lipat Ekspor (Gratieks).

He encouraged that the upstream producers and exporters could increase the production of plantation commodities triple. “Other stakeholders should lay hand too. The triple export would be realized because the plantation, at least, should be planted for twice or triple in a year,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

To realize Gratieks, General Director of Plantation, Ministry of Agriculture, Kasdi Subagyono told that seven commodities are potential to increase the numbers of exports. “They are coffee, cocoa, coconut, the cashew, pepper, nutmeg, and vanilla. Increasing the productivity and volume of the commodities would be done through Gerakan Peningkatan Produksi, Nilai Tambah, dan Daya Saing (Grasida),” he said.

To boost the vanilla production, ministry of agriculture is developing the vanilla where there were production centers, such as, in Salatiga, Central Java. The vanilla identification team consisting of Balai Besar Perbenihan dan Proteksi Tanaman Perkebunan (BBPPTP) Surabaya; Balai Penelitian Rempah dan Obat (Balittro), and Plantation and Agriculture Agency, Central Java visited the location where vanilla was planted for the first time in Salatiga and around, such as in Village of Randu Acir, Sub district of Argomulyo in midst of last July.

One vanilla farmer in Village of Randu Acir who still cultivates vanilla since 1960 is Harjo (90). He thought that the vanilla of Salatiga hit its glory. The money from the harvest could buy animals, areas, and got his children to university. But it faded when the ‘green gold’ got cheaper in the international markets. Vanilla of Indonesia was only about Rp 100 per kilogram.

Harjo and his son, Jito still cultivate vanilla in the village. Jito, the former officer in Education Agency, District of Grobogan, now actively cultivate it together with Pusat Pelatihan Pertanian dan Pedesaan Swadaya (P4S) Griya Vanili Salatiga Semarang and develops vanilla not in Randu Acir but also to others.

Vice major of Salatiga, Muhammad Haris said that it needs development and guidance so that vanilla hits the glory again. He side would do the best, namely providing the infrastructures, such as, the sources of water so that the economy in Village of Randu Acir better again.

Haris hoped that P4S Griya Vanili Salatiga Semarang could cooperate with the vanilla breeders from Balittro to develop the farmers so that its quality and competitiveness could increase. BBPPTP is hoped to help by providing the qualified vanilla seeds.

“The history proved that Salatiga is potential as the barn of natural resource within high economic value, such as, vanilla, rubber, sugar palm, coconut, and others. These are our power and could increase the people’s economy around,” he said. (A2)