The agricultural sector is the leading commodity in West Papua as an economic booster. One of the most prominent productions is Nutmeg in the Fakfak district. These agricultural products account for significantly more than the province’s nutmeg production. Therefore, nutmeg commodities become an important supply in regional and national industries.
Nutmeg Potential in Fakfak Kabupaten Regency
Nutmeg plays an important role in the agricultural industry in the Papua province. Most of the contribution of nutmeg needs comes from the Fakfak district. According to reports, at least 80 percent of the land in this district has nutmeg with the species Myristica Fragrans Argentea. The area is also not half-hearted because it can reach 6,071 hectares.
This amount of land is equivalent to 58 percent of the total area of nutmeg plantations in Papua. It takes over 11 percent of total nutmeg production in Indonesia as the largest supplier. This number exists because of natural conditions and effective cultivation methods. Usually, nutmeg in the Fakfak district grows in nutmeg forest gardens belonging to local communities for generations.
Meanwhile, trees are found in various special elevation gradients, such as coastal ecosystems to mountains. This factor affects productivity which is relatively different significantly. Furthermore, there is potential to increase the productivity of West Papua nutmeg through market development in both raw and processed products. It will provide value from the results of its production.
Expanding the nutmeg market in Fakfak involves various parties in Papua. Thus, to secure unwanted risks, the efforts of the government, customary institutions, and sustainable management are important aspects. It can support the conservation of land in Fakfak. In addition, it aims to encourage the diversification of commodity livelihoods in the agricultural or spice sector.
Supply Nutmeg at Fakfak Regency
1.Seed Suppliers
The first supply chain starts from seed suppliers who own nutmeg plantations. This party will sell the best seeds to farmers. In addition, local government agencies can also purchase nutmeg seeds to be subsidized to farmers. It is the first step to increase the production of nutmeg. These seeds will have to go through the process of planting, caring, and harvesting.
2.Farmer
Farmers’ activities in nutmeg cultivation are still classified as semi-cultivated because nutmeg plants grow naturally on the coast to the mountains in West Papua. Planting nutmeg seeds is an alternative option if you want to develop in a new land. After the planting period, the farmer will separate the seeds and fruit to make the transportation process easier.
3.Local Collectors
Local collectors will start visiting farmers’ gardens when harvest time to buy produce. Local collectors can purchase crops from farmers in raw forms, such as seeds and mace. This condition is very helpful for farmers in selling their products directly. However, sometimes the price received by farmers is lower than the market price.
4.Village Company
There are village companies that can buy commodity products from farmers. This institution, called BUMKAM, will buy nutmeg seeds from farmers at high prices. It attracts the attention of local collectors in selling their agricultural products. Through this institution, farmers’ crops can be sold to other areas. For example, BUMKAM sells nutmeg to inter-island traders.
5.Inter-Island Traders
In addition to the potential for profitable sales from village companies, farmers in Fakfak can also sell to inter-island traders. Players have great access to the inter-market market in terms of delivery, buyers, and the best quality for farmers’ production in West Papua. Inter-island traders generally form partnerships with exporters in Surabaya.
After that, it was marketing through Surabaya, Semarang, and Jakarta, or to other big cities. The number of inter-island traders in the Fakfak Regency has limited number. However, inter-island traders are migrants who live in Fakfak. In its delivery, several challenges will be faced by the suppliers.
The shipping process is prone to damage despite its super high quality. Therefore, the knock (knock) seeds are only sent in small and limited quantities. Likewise, mace requires good storage time to last a long time. The nature of mace is easy to change in the form of color and physical condition. So, shipping nutmeg by sea has been packaged in 20-foot containers.
6.Home Industry
Basically, nutmeg flesh is a waste from harvesting seeds and mace. Along with modern innovations, people know the benefits and demand for processed products from fruit flesh is increasing. As a result, the home industry in West Papua began to grow with the support of local government agencies. The products are candied wet nutmeg, candied dried nutmeg, syrup, juice, and soy sauce.
In conclusion, there is a lot of potential for nutmeg from the Fakfak district. From the beginning, which only started as farmers, now everything has developed for the better thanks to many roles. Starting from seed providers, farmers, local suppliers, inter-island traders, government agencies, and home industries, they make a big contribution to the supply of nutritional needs.
https://inobu.org/the-supply-chain-of-papuan-nutmeg-in-fakfak-district-west-papua3
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338769615_VALUE_CHAIN_STUDY_OF_PAPUA_NUTMEG_IN_FAKFAK_DISTRICT
