Indonesia: Kubu cashew nuts registered for certification

The Bali Agriculture Agency  said on Wednesday that it was helping farmers in Kubu, Karangasem, obtain certification for their cashew nuts from the Society for Protection of Geographical Indications (MPIG).
The agency’s data and research division head, Made Tresna Kumara, said the effort was part of the agency’s aim to boost the production of farm products and protect them from underqualified crops.
He said the application for certification was submitted in November through the Law and Human Rights Ministry.
The ministry’s team will conduct a field check on Saturday, he said.

Kumara explained that the process started in 2012 by mapping the locations, disseminating information to the farmers and conducting laboratory tests on the nuts.
“It will be three to four months before the ministry announces the results,” he said. “We hope to get satisfactory results in 2014.”
Kumara went on to say that farmers in Kubu, which is the hub of cashew production in Bali, practiced organic farming.
Besides the larger size, the taste of Kubu cashews is unique and the nut contained only 6 to 8 percent water.
“Cashews from Kubu are savory, crunchy and a little sweet with a creamy essence,” Kumara said.
“This is because it contains more glucose and carbohydrates than other cashews,” he said.
According to Kumara, MPIG certification gives farmers advantages, such as legal protection for their product, boosts the economical quality of the nuts and protects the farms from land conversion.
He added that certification could promote the nuts on the international market.
In the first phase, Kumara said the agency had registered six subak (traditional farming associations) of around 650 farmers working a total area of around 7,000 hectares.
More subak will be registered upon completion of the first phase.
Kubu cashews are distributed abroad. Grade I cashews sell for Rp 12,500 (US$1.03) per kilogram and Grade II for Rp 11,000 per kilogram.
Based on 2012 data, Bali has 12,591 hectares of cashew nut farmland that produces more than 3,700 tons per year.
Around 12,444 hectares of the land comprise traditional farms in Badung, Klungkung, Karangasem and Buleleng that produce around 447 kilograms of cashews per hectare per year. More than 23,000 farmers make a living on this land.
Kumara said that cashew farmers’ income was relatively lower than that of coffee bean and cacao farmers.
In Bali, only Kintamani coffee beans have MPIG certification.
Kintamani coffee is known for its unique bitter taste. Farmers there are trained to adjust the level of bitterness to market demand.
Agency head I Dewa Made Buana Duwuran previously said that the island’s main products were coffee beans, cacao and vanilla beans. Besides their high market prices, the markets and productions are open to expansion.
Bali also relies on the production of cloves, pepper, cashews and other produce.
However, distribution is done through other cities, such as Surabaya and Jakarta. Some products from outside Bali are also exported from the island.
“Therefore, data on the exportation of Bali’s agricultural products does not reflect the real size of local production,” he said.

Source: thejakartapost.com