TOBACCO PEOPLE INDONESIA
When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers therefore are the founders of human civilization. Daniel Webster (1782-1852)
TOBACCO PEOPLE is a trademark of Sarah Hazlegrove Inc. Photographs copyright Sarah Hazlegrove Inc. 2013 Text copyright Sarah Hazlegrove Inc. 2013 All rights reserved. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of Sarah Hazlegrove Inc.
Map of Indonesia circa 1601
TOBACCO PEOPLE I N DO N E S IA
SARAH HAZLEGROVE
There is beauty in the rhythm of the growing and harvesting seasons. Seed to seed bed, harvest to curing. Growing tobacco is much the same no matter where you go; a familiar rhythm played out over the centuries and across many different lands. It is against this backdrop of sameness that the people and cultures, like colorful clouds against a blue sky, stand out brilliant and unique.
CONTENTS A BRIEF HISTORY LAND PREPARATION SEEDBEDS CROP MANAGEMENT WATERING HARVESTING RAJANGAN CUTTING AND CURING CURING OTHER TOBACCOS PALM LEAF MATS CLOVE GRADING AND BUYING RAJANGAN KRETEK HISTORY KRETEK PRODUCTION BETEL CHEWING ROLLED TOBACCO FAMILIES SUSTAINABILITY SAMA SAMA
A BRIEF HISTORY WIth more than 17,500 islands stretching over 735,355 square miles, Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. It is part of the Malay Archipelago that stretches from Southeastern Asia to Australia. Of the 17,500 islands of Indonesia, only 6000 are inhabitable. The islands form unique habitats where an amazing variety of rare and idigenous plants, birds, marine life and animals live. The archipelago is also home to a culturally diverse population ofover 237 million people. An estimated 300 different ethnic groups and 737 different languages have been documented throughout the islands. The history of tobacco use in Indonesia goes back centuries. The Portuguese are credited with introducing tobacco to the Islands sometime in the mid 1500’s. Explorers wrote of its existence in eastern Java in the 1600’s and noted that Hindu monks traveling from India were using tobacco seeds for trading. Several countries in the East; Egypt, Arabia and India, had rituals of smoking that date back several thousands of years. Dhumrapana (the drinking of smoke) was said to be beneficial to the health. With the long history and tradition of smoking in these countries, tobacco easily found its way into the pipes, houkas and herb cigarettes that were smoked. The Dutch became the dominant European power in the islands in 1602. They colonized and controlled the islands for 450 years and did so at times in a ruthless manner, forcing many indigenous people to work in slave labor like conditions. The main objective at the beginning of colonial rule by the Dutch was to monopolize the spice trade. They did so with great success until other countries, frustrated by the tight grip on the trade, began to plant clove and other spice trees in other countries. The Dutch also began the systematic cultivation of tobacco. By the end of the 19th century, the Dutch were producing and exporting tobacco. Although tobacco became profitable, it was not until the end of Colonial rule, after World War II, that tobacco production and the manufacturing of clove cigarettes became the successful industry that it is today. From atop a hill on the island of Flores, many of the smaller islands that make up the archipelago can be seen. August 2011
RAJANGAN
A group of farmers share a cutting machine used for cutting Rajangan tobacco. Jombang August 2011
KRETEK
A hand rolling machine lays idle next to a container of freshly rolled kreteks. Once the excess tobacco is trimmed off the ends, the kreteks will be packaged. Surabaya August 2011
Pallets of Rajangan cure next to rice fields. Jember, August 2011
LAND PREPARATION
A farmer uses a hand tractor to plow his field. Because the cost of a hand tractor is quite expensive, farmers form a group and rent a plow for a period of time. The cost of the rental is split amongst them, helping to lower the overall cost of tobacco production.
SEEDBEDS
Young seedlings being hand pricked into seedbeds. SETC training school. Lombok June 2012
Recently transplanted seedlings Center photo: Rice husks are sometimes spread on the seedbeds to help keep in moisture.
After 3 weeks seedlings are clipped for uniformity.
A newly planted field. Central Sulawesi July 2012
The head of Sadhana’s Lombok operations praises a farmer on his well tended seedbeds.
At the SETC training farm in Lombok, technicians learn about Good Agricultural Practices. July 2012
A farmer uses a hand sprayer to water his seedlings. Lombok, July 2012
Seedbeds are planted during the rainy season. When the plants are young a plastic covering protects them from heavy tropical rains. Towards the end of the seedbed period, the seedlings need to be ‘stressed and hardened’, again they are covered to reduce the amount of rain that reaches the plants. Covering the seedbeds can also slow the growth of the young tobacco plants if the field is not yet ready for transplanting. Blitar, Java July 2012
Field labourers have tea before beginning the days work. Blitar, Java July 2012
FERTILIZATION CROP MANAGEMENT
Different fertilizers are being mixed and poured into bags to be taken to the fields. Blitar, Java July 2012
A team of workers weeds, and fertilizes a field in Blitar. July 2012
Blitar, Java July 2012
Pak Budi is 97 years old and has worked as a field labourer all his life. Blitar July 2012
Stone walls fortify an irrigation system that brings water from the mountains into the fields Paiton, Java August 2011
WATERING
Madura is known to be a dry island in comparison to some of the other islands in the archipelago. The weather is not only drier but the soil is more arid and tobacco plants are watered individually by hand.
To help make watering easier, shallow wells are dug near the crops. Madura August 2011
Madura August 2011
HARVESTING
Paiton, Java August 2011
From seed to seedbed, no matter what type of tobacco is growing, the seeds and tiny tobacco plants start out looking no different from one another. This changes quite dramatically once the seedlings reach maturity. If the beginning of a tobacco plants life starts quietly and inconspicuously, it is the harvest and curing that is full of dramatic activity and the differences between the types of tobacco and how they are treated becomes apparent. This is perhaps even more so in Indonesia where so many different types of tobacco are grown. Shade Leaf is babied under canopies of cloth mesh. In some cases the delicate and tall stalks are tied individually to the canopy above ensuring that the leaves will not be damaged as they grow. Moisture levels under the canopy are kept under control and no direct sunlight touches the plants. With equal care at harvest time, the leaves are pulled from the stalk and laid carefully in a basket. The best leaves will become wrappers for cigars, the others will become the filler. The leaves of Oriental tobacco are petite compared to more broad leafed tobaccos such as Virginia or Burley. Oriental tobacco may be small, but it plays a major role in tobacco blends. Like flue cured tobacco, it is harvested leaf by leaf, starting with the lowest leaves on the stalk. It was once called Turkish tobacco because it was historically grown in the countries that made up the Ottoman empire. The first cigarettes were made almost entirely of Oriental tobacco. Virginia or flue cured tobaccos are thicker in texture and when mature look almost like the skin of a green crocodile. The leaves are harvested from the bottom of the stalk to the top. The leaves are picked as they ripen which can take several months until a crop is completely harvested. Close to 70% of the tobacco produced in Indonesia is a Rajangan type tobacco. With so many different types of regional varieties of Rajngan tobaccos, it is almost imposssible to tell if a tobacco is from Bondowoso or Yogyakarta. The leaves are harvested one by one. After being harvested, the leaves are rolled into tight cylindrical rolls and then the tobacco is finely sliced before being air cured on bamboo pallets.
There is a very special sound when a tobacco leaf is pulled from the stalk, like a carrot or branch of celery being snapped in half. The sound resonates down the rows as the workers move from one plant to the next. Jember, Java August 2012
A farmer harvests oriental tobacco . Madura August 2011
Madura August 2012
Baskets of shade leaf tobacco are carefully carried to a waiting truck outside the enclosed field.
Workers harvest early at sunrise before the heat and humidity build up under the canopy of this shade leaf facility in Jember. August 2011
Freshly harvested leaves are loaded on to a yoke that will be carried out of the fields on the shoulders of the farmer. Paiton,Java August 2011
FIeld labourers take a break from their work. A ‘Berugak’ offers shade from the hot sun. Paiton, Java August 2011
Terrace farming allows farmers to cultivate crops on difficult terrain. Even the smallest tracts of land are planted to provide food for the family. Sulawesi July 2012
Rolls of burlap and tobacco are laid on the ground in this field of Rajangan tobacco in Blitar. The leaves are placed on the burlap then carefully rolled into a bundle and carried out of the field to the house.
Stretches of burlap, used for carrying tobacco leaves, lay on the floor with newly harvested leaves.
Tobacco leaves are stood up on end for 2-3 days during what is called, ‘Peram’. Once the leaves have reached the proper color they will be cut.ested leaves cover
Leaves are made into rolls before being cut. Madura August 2011
RAJANGAN Of all the varieties of tobacco grown in Indonesia, Rajangan is the most widely cultivated and the most unique. Rajangan is a ‘cut rag’ tobacco and although there are other places in the world where ‘cut rag’ is found, it is only in Indonesia where the tobacco is cut green. Once it is cut, the tobacco is spread out on to woven bamboo pallets then laid in the sun to cure. There are two cuts of Rajangan in Indonesia, Rajangan Halus (soft cut) and Rajangan Kasar (rough cut). Rajangan Halus is cut into fine strands. Rajangan Kassar is cut in to larger strands. The center stem is not removed so that the cut tobacco is of the whole leaf. Rajangan tobaccos are usually named after the area in Indonesia where they are grown. There are close to one hundred different types of Rajangan but it is hard to calculate because although a tobacco may come from the isand of Madura or Java, the Rajangan tobacco is also given a sub name usually referring to a more specific area on the island where it is grown. For example, a tobacco coming from Madura would be a Maduran Rajangan but it It might be called Jepun Kenek or Jepuyn Raja or Prancak. Rajangan is found throughout the islands. On Java, some of the better known Rajangan tobacco varieties are from Paiton, Bondowoso, Weleri, Jombang, Jember, Tamanan and Karang Jati. On Bali the tobacco is allowed to cure before it is sliced. The tobacco is a much stonger tobacco and is used mostly for chewing and in conjunction with betel nut, it is not used in the making of Kreteks.
The simple brace made of wood and steel, holds the rolls of tobacco in place. The farmer puts weight onto the roll to make it more compact before slicing it.
Rolls of tobacco wait to be cut. Madura August 2011
Each swipe of the machete cuts through the thick layers of tobacco. The center stem is not removed. Madura August 2011
Many hours will be needed to cut the hundreds of rolls waiting close by. Even with four men working at separate stations, their machetes singing, metal against metal, the group of men will work through the night. The green slivers of Rajangan fall to the ground where they will be gathered and spread over bamboo pallets to cure.
Machines are beginning to replace the hand cutting of Rajangan. The machines are often rented by a group of farmers who hire labourers to spread the tobacco once it has been cut. The cutting machines are less dangerous and decrease the number of hours necessary to cut through an entire crop. Madura August 2011
Adding spices or ‘sauces’ to tobacco is one of the unique traditions in Indonesia. Although clove is the spice that is most widely used, other spices or ingredients are sometimes added. Jombang, in South Eastern Java, is known for sugar infused tobacco. Once the tobacco has been cut, ground sugar is mixed into it before being spread on to pallets and put in the sun to cure.
During Ramadan the nights are busy with activity. Rajangan cures in front of a farmers house illuminated by a passing car. Bondowoso, Java August 2011
CURING RAJANGAN
Pallets of curing Rajangan lay across tombstones in a Muslim graveyard. Madura August 2011
A Hindu family temporarily stores rolled tobacco,in one of the family temples. In Bali the leaves are sun cured for several days before being made into rolls. The tobacco is a stronger variety and used mostly for chewing. Bali August 2011
A familiar sight throughout Indonesia, Rajangan curing on pallets by the roadside.
Bali August 2011
Pallets of curing Rajangan lay atop the gutters on the roadsides near Ubud, Bali. The flow of air under the gutters helps cure the tobacco more quickly. One of the major concerns of curing Rajangan near the roads is the proliferation of foreign objects that appears in the tobacco. Farmers who work under contract are not allowed to cure their tobacco in such a manner.
Tiny hands of cured oriental tobacco, adorn the top of a bamboo fence in Madura. August 2011
CURING OTHER TOBACCOS
Although Rajangan tobacco is the most unique tobacco grown in Indonesia, the soil and climate are ideal for other tobaccos as well. The curing methods for oriental, flue cured, shade leaf and others are quite different. Whether hanging on a fence or neatly laid up in a beautiful barn, the sight of curing tobacco is an integral part of the Indonesian landscape.
A team of women tie fresh leaves together on a long bamboo pole. Above them are rafters filled with tobacco at various stages in the curing process. Jember, August 2011
AIR CURED PTT barns Jember, Java July 2012
SHADE LEAF A variety of curing barns for shade leaf tobacco in Jember, Java August 2011
SUN CURED Uncut tobacco and corn incircle an area where cut tobacco is curing in the sun. Jember, Java August
The fetching of wood is a daily activity. Flores August 2011
FLUE CURED Bamboo poles of varying lengths and thickness, lean against a set of flue cured tobacco barns. Repairs are being done on the rafters on the inside in anticipation of the harvest and curing. Lombok July 2012
Once the tobacco is cured, the leaves are taken off of the tobacco sticks. The leaves are sorted and made in to hands of tobacco that will then be made in to a bale. Lombok August 2011
A worker makes bales of flue cured tobacco Yogyakarta, Java August 2011
Farmers bring bales of flue cured tobacco to the receiving station in Lombok August 2011
PALM LEAF MATS
In tobacco growing communities, there are crafts or separate industries connected to tobacco that create jobs. These crafts or products can include the containers used to transport tobacco from one place to the next. In some countries tobacco is transported using burlap, in others it is cardboard boxes. In Indonesia, the primary method of transporting tobacco is woven mats made from palm leaves. These mats are also used for drying clove. Pallets made from bamboo are another example of a separate ’cottage industry’ in Indonesia. The bamboo pallets are used for the curing of Rajangan. Madura August 2011
The loading dock of a receiving station in Madura is bursting with activity. Bales of loose Rajangan are carried to trucks that will then transport the tobacco to the buying station several miles away. August 2011
GRADING AND BUYING RAJANGAN
Farmers arrive at a buying station in Lombok. The towering bundles of tobacco teeter precariously on the back of the truck. August 2011
New bales arrive. In a flurry of dust and tobacco, handfuls of Rajangan are pulled from the woven containers and laid on the table for grading and sampling.
A Farmer sits at the table waiting to hear what the experts have to say about his tobacco.
Madura August 2011
A tobacco flower tattoed on his hand, a grader/leaf buyer makes his decision. Just by smelling the tobacco, experts in the grading process can not only tell the quality of the tobacco, but also where it was grown. Madura August 2011
Tasting the tobacco is important. like tasting good wine.
a sample is marked by quality and where it was grown.
Several hundred bales are sampled and graded each day.
Graders buy tobacco based on the samples from the blenders. The grader must keep to the standard set as each grade pertains to a different price. Bales are made from a variety of tobaccos that come in on a certain day. Bales are classified as either blending grades or buying grades. It is vital to keep to the standards of quality and uniformity consistent from one buying station to the next. It is a way of keeping track of the quality of the tobacco produced from an area in a given year.
CLOVE The search for cloves and other spices prompted the ‘Age of Discovery’. However the trading of spices goes back even further in history. Clove trees were once found only on the Molucca islands in Eastern Indonesia. The tree was indigenous to just a few tiny islands in the great expanse of the Malay archipelago which stretches from Southeastern Asia to Australia.. At one time a rare commodity worth its weight in gold, cloves were prized by wealthy ancient Romans prior to 1700 B.C. and the use of cloves by the Chinese predates the Romans by several thousand years. Clove reisdue has even been found in clay vessels dating back to 226. B.C.. The Venetians were the first Europeans to be seduced by the spice trade. For centuries they traveled over land and used middlemen in India and Arabia to secure the rare spices. The promise of wealth inspired Portuguese sailors to find a faster route to the islands. When they successfuly rounded the tip of Africa, in the late 1400’s , they opened a sea route that other countries used as well, and the competition for spices began. The Portuguese and Spanish, later the English, Dutch even the Americans took part in the exploitation of the islands and their inhabitants. The Dutch more than any other western country, had the biggest impact on the islands. They controlled the spice trade for centuries and established colonies. They ruled over the Indonesian archipelago from the 1600’s until the end of WWII. To avoid the competition for spices and the tight control that the Dutch used to monopolize the trade, tradesmen from other countries began to plant clove trees in other parts of the world. Seedlings were planted in places as far away as Zanzibar, Tanzania, Madagascar, Brazil, India and other countries. They were also planted on the neighboring islands of Sulawesi, Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. The spread of clove to other parts of the world was a direct result of the drastic measures the Dutch took to reduce the availability of cloves. One such measure was the burning down of new outcroppings of clove trees that grew outside their control. For the indigenous people living on the islands, this tactic was unforgiveable. Because, upon the birth of a child, a clove tree was planted as a living symbol of that childs very existence. The health and well being of the tree was spiritually connected to that of the child. The burning campaign, instituted by the Dutch was seen as an act of cruelty and created a feeling of animosity and distrust towards them by the indigenous peoples. By planting clove trees in other parts of the world, far away from the control of the Dutch, clove became more available and the prices dropped. Today, clove is considered a common spice and easily found throughout the world. Clove is a key ingredient in the production of kreteks. It is a vibrant agricultural business. The average clove farmer can grow about 40 trees on 0.25 hectares. However, many families will grow trees around their homes or on smaller tracts of land and harvest clove as a suppliment to their income. A clove tree is not old enough to harvest until it is at least 5 years old. A mature tree can grow to 30 ft or 9 Meters and yield as much as 50 Kgs per tree. The price for clove can vary from year to year depending on supply and demand. Unlike many crops, clove can be stored over time without compromising its quality. This allows a farmer to sell off his harvest in smaller increments, storing a reserve supply that he can sell later when he needs cash. Farmers are more likely to sell large quantities of clove at the beginning of the harvest season. At that time the markets are filled with farmers hauling heavy sacks filled with the tiny buds to the scales. The large bags can weigh over 50 kilos. The price can vary per kilo. In 2011 the price was about 25 USD, in 2012 the price had dropped to between 10 and 15 USD per kilo. The harvest season is long. It starts in February on the western islands and ends in September in the eastern islands. The harvest time on Java runs usually from July to August. Farmers can either sell the clove while it is still on the trees or harvest it and sell it after it has dried. The advantage of selling the clove while it is still on the tree is that a farmer that does not want to pay labourers to climb the trees and harvest the clove can sell it to another farmer who does. He also gets his money quickly and does not have to go through the drying process which can take time. Palm leaf mats can be seen along the roadsides covered with the tiny green buds. Like Rajangan tobacco, it is another crop that is cured in the sun. Once the cloves have turned brown, they are collected and stored. It is energy and cost efficient to cure the cloves in this manner. Eugenol oil is the oil that gives clove it’s flavor and is the cause for it’s numbing qualities. It is volatile. Drying the buds in the sun is the most effective way to allow the oil to evaporate. Very little clove grown in Indonesia is exported. It remains in Indonesia to be used for kreteks.
Clove harvesting. Sulawesi July 2012
Freshly harvested cloves. Sulawesi July 2012
Carpets of green clove dry in the sun. Sulawesi July 2012
Clove farmers. Central Java July 2012
A clove farmer sells bags of green, uncured clove to a customer at a market in Central Sulawesi. July
The sack of cloves weighs over 60 kilos and requires two men to carry it. A sack this large could bring anywhere from $720 to $1500. Sulawesi July 2012
KRETEK The man credited for having created the Kretek was a man named Haji Jamhari. Jamhari lived In the village of Kudus, in north Eastern Java and suffered from Asthma. He knew from experience that rubbing clove oil on his chest helped alleviate his symptoms and that chewing on clove helped alleviate pain in his mouth. He had an idea that if he were able to bring the same relief into his asthmatic lungs, he would feel better. This simple idea was the beginning of an industry as well as a dynasty in Indonesia. For in fact, the simple mixture of tobacco and clove did indeed bring relief to Pak Jamhari’s symptoms. He began producing, on a small scale, his clove cigarettes. The first of these homemade remedies was eventually sold in pharmacies, claiming to help cure the symptoms of asthma. The early cigarettes were called ’rokok cengkeh’, clove cigarettes. As their popularity grew and more people smoked the cigarettes for pleasure rather than for medicinal reasons, they were referred to as ‘kreteks’ The word ‘kretek’ evolved as a nickname. It was used to describe the crackling sound the burning cloves made as the cigarette was smoked. Over time, it became the word of choice used to describe the clove cigarettes of Indonesia. Seeing an opportunity for greater profit, another resident of Kudus names Nitisemito began to produce kreteks on a larger scale. His Bal Tiga brand kreteks were very popular in the early 1900’s. Nitisemito was known for his unusual, at times outrageous marketing techniques. Part of his marketing repretoire included making threats to customers as well packaging gimmicks that enticed more people to buy his cigarettes. His character may have been questionable at times but he was a shrewd businessman and one who saw the importance of entrepreneurship. He started a production system called the ‘abon’ system; whereby Nitisemito would provide the necessary materials to produce kreteks ie; the corn husks, tobacco, cloves and hand rolling tools to individuals who didn’t have enough capital to start their own businesses. In return, they would be responsible for producing a steady supply of kreteks to his company as payment for the loan of materials. The ‘abon’ system not only made his company successful but it also helped spread the ‘cottage industry’ of kretek production throughout Indonesia. Until recently there were over 3000 small hand rolling operations throughout the archipelago. Jamhari invented the Kretek, Nitisemito made it popular, but the person who had the biggest influence on the kretek industry was Liem Seeng Tee. Liem Seeng Tee and his father left China and arrived in Surabaya, Java in 1898. He was only 5 years old. Within a year he was an orphan. By the age of 11 he was effectively homeless, having left the family that had agreed to take care of him after his fathers’ death. To survive he peddled food on trains till he was able to buy a bicycle. From selling coal, to food and eventually tobacco, the bicycle gave him mobility and a way of transporting larger quantites of saleable goods, it became a symbol of his future success. Liem Tee married Tjiang Nio when he was 20 years old, she was just 16. They struggled like many during the years of colonial rule. Soon after they were married, Liem See was able to get a steady job blending and rolling cigarettes at a small cigarette manufacturer. It became apparent to the owner that Liem See had a talent for blending tobaccos. He also had a way of creating special combinations of spices that he mixed with the tobaccos to make his cigarettes popular. Within six months he and Tjiang Nio had saved enough money to rent a small stall where they sold food stuffs. Tjiang Nio made cakes and sweets. Using his bicycle, Liem See peddled custom blended cigarettes throughout the streets of Surabaya. Their little business was doing well. Making individual cigarettes for customers took time. It was not easy stopping and rolling individual cigarettes by the side of the road. He soon realized that by preparing large quantities of the most popular blends ahead of time, he could package and sell a greater volume, thereby increasing his profits. Liem See’s lucky break came when he learned that a large inventory of tobacco was up for sale at a low cost. The seller had fallen on to hard times and needed to raise enough money to pay a debt. The only problem was Liem See would have to come up with the money within 24 hours which was not possible on such short notice. That evening he told his wife. She listened and understood how the purchase of the tobacco could change their lives. He did not know that his frugal wife had been saving money from the sale of her cakes. She took down a long bamboo pole where she had been hiding her savings and counted out the money. There was more than enough to buy the tobacco. For Liem See and Tjiang Nio, it was the beginning of a family business. One that would sustain not only them and their family, but millions of Indonesians who worked for them over the ensuing years. Liem See founded his business, now known as PT HM Sampoerna company, upon a philiosophy. A philosphy that evolved from his personal experiences. He knew from early on, when he was rolling individual cigarettes on the streets of Surabaya, that customer satisfaction and keeping his prices competetive, were the keys to profitability. The relationship between the manufacturer, the market and the consumer are intertwined. The model that evolved from his philiosophy was based on this concept. He called the model, ’the three hands’ The success of the manufacturer depends on the strength of the connection between the three hands. The manufacturer must maintain the highest quality product from the field to the factory. It must cater to its clients and create marketing and manufacturing strategies that insure the strength and balance between the three parts. Because the family owned business believed the philiosophy and practiced the concept, the company grew to be one of the most successful in the world. Philip Morris International bought the company from the Sampoerna family in March 2005 and continues to operate under the same philosophy outlined by its founder.
The three hands of Sampoerna. Sampoerna museum. Surabaya August 2011
KRETEK PRODUC TION
Traditionally the hand rolling of Kreteks has been a job held by women. It is a skill that requires precision and speed. The smaller hands of a woman make the job easier. Typically a worker can roll 5000-8000 sticks a day. If a worker can produce a large quantity of Kreteks she is then paid on a piece rate, allowing her to earn more money.
Excess tobacco is trimmed from both ends of the Kretek before being packaged. Sampoerna Museum, Surabaya August 2012
The worker closes the final flap with a paste glue to complete a finished pack. Surabaya Ausgut 2012
Workers bring examples of their work to be examined for quality control.
The working environment in the Kretek manufacturing facilities is upbeat.Music plays over the loud speakers and every hour the women are requ ired to get up from their work to stretch and do some light excercises.
Women at the Sampoerna museum, roll and package thousands of Kretek cigarettes a day. To see it is like looking at an enormous beehive. They move almost in unison. Rolling and packaging, their bodies swaying ever so slightly in a rhythm that keeps their hands moving fast, like bees making a honeycomb.
All of the Kretek manufacturing facilities operated by HMS have a mosques where their employees can pray. Surabaya August 2011
Bamboo filled with calcium paste,and betel pepper leaves are sold at a farmers market. The calcium is dug out of the bamboo and placed on the leaves. These two ingreients cause the chemical reaction that produces the red juice that is spit out when chewing betel. Flores August 2011
BETEL AND ROLLED TOBACCO
A proud Grandmother walks through Segenter village, a quid of tobacco mixed with betel in her mouth.
BETEL CHEWING In remote areas such as Segenter Village in northern Lombok, as well as other more remote areas of Indonesia, ‘betel’ chewing remains a part of the daily ritual for many of its inhabitants. This ancient custom has been in existence for over 2000 years and has been enjoyed by emperors, slaves, men, women and children. Their mouths stained a bright orange red and their teeth black as nuggets of coal, it is easy to identify those who partake of this stimulating mixture of plants. Early European explorers arriving in South East Asia, found the habit disgusting, bewildered that such a habit could be indulged in by so many. The ritual of mixing the elements together and how the mixture is consumed can vary from one part of the world to another. The results of the habit though are the same, bright red mouths and charred looking teeth. From the Eastern coast of Africa, across to India, Indonesia, the Philippines to the southern shores of China, the mixing and chewing of the areca nut with a leaf of the Piper betel pepper plant and lime are the essential elements of the chew. Lime is available from various sources but in the islands is usually made from ground sea shells or molluscs. The gound shell powder is mixed with water to make a paste. It is then added to the nut and leaf to form a small pouch. Other ingredients, mostly spices are sometimes added. Historically the kind of extra ingredients added were an indication of a persons wealth. Other spices include, clove, cardamon, nutmeg, black pepper, musk and camphor. Tobacco, as far as the history of Betel chewing is concerned, is a relatively recent adddtion to the mix. It became more widely used in the 1800’s. It is used to wipe the teeth clean before and after the mixture is chewed or, as is the case in Segenter Village in northern Lombok, a round quid of tobacco mixed with the betel ingredients is placed in the front of the teeth where the mixture can be sucked and chewed on during the day.
Segenter Village in northern Lombok July 2012
‘Betel’ boxes and baskets are often beautiful examples of the decorative arts and as heirlooms, are passed down from one generation to the next.
A simple tin bowl holds betel ingredients. Flores August 2011
In a village in the mountains of Flores, a man sells all the necessary ingredients for chewing betel.
Flores August 2011
It is an old myth that chewing betel strengthens the teeth. There are antiseptic qualities in the betel pepper leaf, but over time, chewing of the betel quid causes dental and gum problems. The younger generations are more aware of this and as a result, do not chew betel like their parents or grandparents. Flores August 2011
ROLLED TOBACCO The Rolled tobacco of Sinjai is not found in other parts of Indonesia. It is unique to this small area on the island of Sulawesi. The wooden instruments used in forming the coin shaped rounds of tobacco are simple yet beautiful designs. Cut tobacco is laid in the groove of the wooden sled, and a wooden wheel that fits neatly into the groove, is rolled back and forth over the tobacco pressing it down against the bottom. Laid on the bottom of the groove is an attached cloth strap that is then pulled towards the person the entire length of the sled. A round, perfectly shaped coin of tobacco is produced. It is then put into the mouth of a bamboo tube. A long wooden pummel is pressed against the round of tobacco pushing it further towards the bottom of the tube. Once the round has reached the end, or is pressed against other rounds already in the tube, the pummel is thrust sharply down, pressing and making the tobacco more compact. The tobacco will stay in the tubes and go through a second curing process over the kitchen fireplace until it is ready to be sold at a local market. The tradition of making long tubes or ropes of tobacco is one of the oldest methods of processing tobacco that still exists today. Like the chewing of betel, the tradition can be traced back over the centuries and over several continents.
Rounds of tobacco are packed tightly in to hollowed out bamboo, about 1 meter in length. The tubes of tobacco are separated in sections by their place on the tobacco stalk. The tobacco that comes from the top of the plant is the most expensive. The tobacco is sold either by the tube or by the piece. An entire tube length of tobacco coins sells for about twenty dollars.
Pak Tahir Baddu works with a friend in his kitchen making rolled tobacco. Western Sinjai, Sulawesi July 2102
FAMILIES
Haji Aminqudsy, (center back row) stands proudly with his extended family. Everyone lives and works together. Haji is a successful leaf buyer in Madura. Madura August 2011
PAK PURWANTORO Purwantoro sits with his wife Waliniyanti in the living are of their nome in Yogyakarta. Purwantoro is a third generation tobacco farmer. His grandfather started growing tobacco in the 1940’s. The reasons for growing tobacco has not changed much from one generation to another. It has always been an important cash crop. What has changed is the variety of tobacco grown. His Grandfather grew the Dutch varieties, Bligon, Grompol and Preketek. These were varieties that were found only in Yogyakarta. Also unique to Yogya was Siluk or Kedu Sili. During the 40’s the farmers would grow one type of tobacco or another depending on what was favorable in the markets or what seeds they could get. When Purwantoro was a young man and growing tobacco for the first time, he too grew the Dutch varieties. When he started growing under a contract with Sadhana he began to grow Virginia tobacco. SInce 2011, a collective decision was made by the company and the farmers to grow Rajangan. They grow a variety called Rasa a type from Bondowoso, that is very similar in taste and color to Virginia tobacco but the cost of production is about half as expensive. When a farmer grows flue cured tobacco he has greater overhead costs and the market fluctuates more for flue cured tobacco. When growing Rajangan, farmers have to work in groups. They take turns using the machinery for land preparation and slicing the tobacco. Pak Purwantoro has transformed his curing barns in to apartments that he rents out for extra money.
Yogyakarta July 2012
IBU PI Pi’s grandfather owned 25 heactares of land in Purworejo village near Blitar. Of the original 25 hectares owned by her Grandfather, Pi now owns and farms 5 of them. Because of the death of her two brothers and a sister who works as a banker in Surabaya and has no interest in the land, Pi inherited the 5 hecatres that belonged to her father. By Indonesian standards, 5 hecatres, is a large farm. She holds the original deed to the land, which is also unusual. The majority of farmers rent their land. There are very few that can claim to have original land. Pi started growing tobacco two years ago. Her father tried briefly to grow it in 1960 without much success. In a brief time Pi has quickly earned the reputation as one of the best tobacco growers in the area. Pi cannot imagine doing anything but farming. She loves animals and is proud of her land and home. Her husband Susmianto helps his wife but also works delivering cars and trucks to other islands in the archipelago. Delivering cars to islands as far away as Kalimantan is complicated and takes many days of traveling on narrow roads then ferries across to the islands, but he is paid well for the work. Their twelve year old daughter Puspa says she is not interested in farming. She wants to be a teacher or a business woman but would be willing to rent the land to other farmers. Pi hopes that her daughter will change her mind as she grows older. In many cases, farmers hope their children find better jobs and leave farming altogether. It is different perhaps with families who have original land and want to hold onto to the property for future generations. Land is a precious commodity. As the population of Indonesia increases, 5 hectares of good land may be enough to convince young Puspa to rethink things and include farming in the plans for her future.
Young chickens run to Pi, hoping for a handfull of feed corn. Blitar June 2012
PAK SUMARTANA Pak Sumartana’s house lies at the end of a narrow dirt street. A street too narrow for a car to pass through. Nothing in his crowded neighborhood speaks of agriculture. A few potted plants on window sills, a worn out tree that neighbors use for drying clothes, the labyrinth of houses blocks any view of the fields. Sumartana inherited his house from his father. It sits at the edge of the neighborhood and the wide stretch of farmland that lies beyond the houses is invisible from the street. Like most farmers, he rents the land he farms. Because so much land in Indonesia has been subdivided, parcels of land are very small. The subdividing of property and over population pose significant problems to Indonesians. Sumartana rents land from seven different neighbors to make up the 1.5 hectares that he farms. The smallest parcel of land he rents is only about 1500 meters. Over the past several years, Sumartana has grown flue cured tobacco under contract. Although he was taught about tobacco growing by his father, they grew only regional types. The tobacco was sold locally in the markets. Since Sumartana has worked under contract he has mostly grown flue cured tobacco. In 2011, he employed over 10 labourers. He ran an impeccable operation requiring his employees to wear matching t-shirts, a sign of the pride that Sumartana had for being such a successful farmer. Tragically at the end of the year, his curing barn burned to the ground. Their house sustained some light damage, but the loss of the barn meant he had to change direction. He could no longer produce flue cured tobacco. Luckily there was a shift in the industry and more Rajangan tobaccos were being sought after so he was able to make the transition easily. Sumartana is used to challenges. Soon after the birth of their daughter, his wife Mumawaroh was offered a job as a seamstress to a wealthy family in Arabia. She was gone for over ten years. Sumartana stayed in Indonesia and raised their young daughter on his own. He worked in the fields growing tobacco, rice and vegetables and made extra money by cooking food and selling it from a cart by the side of the road. By obtaining a special motorcycle license he was able to work as a courier as well. For Sumartana and Mumawaroh, the years of hard work have paid off. They have been able to afford to send their one daughter to the University of Yogyakarta where she is studying business. She works as a substitute teacher to earn extra money in the summer but also helps her parents with tobacco. Even though she doesn’t want to become a full-time tobacco farmer, she says she will always grow tobacco, like her father and grandfather. It is a family tradition she wants to preserve.
Pak Sumartana stands next to a tobacco press. Boxes of sorted and graded tobacco line the room next to their kitchen. Yogyakarta August 2011
PAK SUGERI Pak Sugeri sits with his granddaughter on the steps of their barn. The houses, barns, out door kitchen, grocery store and other buildings form a sprawling family compound that Sugeri and his wife Sukarti, share with their daughter, son and their families. The original property belonged to Sukarti’s father. When he married Sukarti 48 years ago, he moved in with her family. They are both in their seventies now and they watch with pride as their children make improvements on the property and work the land that Sukarti inherited. Both Sugeri’s and Sukarti’s families were rice farmers. They would grow rice in the rainy season and corn in the dry season. They also would grow peanuts and chilis. It was not common for farmers in their village to grow tobacco. Most of the famers in the area around Blitar in Eastern Java, have only been growing tobacco for 5 -10 years. Pak Sugeri’s son Hari was the first member of their family to grow tobacco. After attending an agricultural training event in 2003 he learned from other farmers that growing tobacco could be more profitable than the traditional food crops. He has been growing tobacco ever since. During the harvest and curing season, he hires about 6 labourers, mostly women to help with the work. Once the tobacco is cured the workers can be found inside the long storage barn sorting leaves and making hands of tobacco. The barn is cool and dry and the sweet smell of flue cured tobacco hovers in the air. Neither Sukarti or Hari’s wife work with him in tobacco. Sukarti who worked for many years as a teacher for the government is retired and spends her free time with Hari’s wife making cakes and sweets to sell at the family store at the end of their driveway. When Sukarti talks about her family and the farm, she talks about what it was like when she was young, how her parents supported her wishes to be a teacher. She gestures with her hand in a sweeping motion across the parimeter of their farm and beyond where the tall trees used to stand. She remembers them with a nostalgia that is mixed with anger. The trees and many houses in the village were destroyed during the massacres of 1965-1966, now called the Indonesian killings. The massacre took place in many of the rural areas in Java and Bali, and Blitar was one of the communities scarred by the uprising. The farms and property of families suspected of being involved with the communist party (PKI) were often destroyed. An estimated 500,000 people were killed throughout Indonesia and several million were detained, imprisoned, beaten and tortured. The uprising has remained a subject of inquiry and investigation for many years. Sukarti does not say too much about the killings or if members of her family were directly effected. She prefers to talk about how beautiful Blitar used to be and the tall trees that once shaded her family’s farm.
Sukarti and her daugher in law, make crackers and sweets to sell at their family’s grocery store at the end of their driveway. Blitar, Java August 2011
PAK MASHURI August 2011 was the first year Pak Mashuri grew tobacco. WIthin eight months of his first harvest and with the extra money he earned, he transformed the layout of the land around his house. In the photo, he stands proudly in front of the shed where he sorted his tobacco. By May of 2012, the barns in the photo were renovated. One of the barns was removed altogether to make room for two cement fish ponds he built to raise catfish. His daughter’s husband comes from a family that raises ducks for their eggs. To help his daughter and son-in-law get started in a side business of their own, he bought more than 4 dozen ducks and has built an enclosure and cages for them near the catfish ponds. Mashuri is a thoughtful man, a businessman, quick to smile but serious and eager to learn new ways he can increase his profits and improve the productivity of his property. He is one of the more diversified farmers in his village. For twelve years he grew seed corn in the dry season and did well but the prices dropped to the point he was eager to switch to another cash crop. Tobacco was not grown in the village of Sumberejo until 2011, he was one of the first to grow it. His father grew tobacco 20 years ago in a different village, but the tobacco he grew was a local type of tobacco and only grown for personal use or to sell to neighbors. Mashuri grows a small amount of the local ‘Kedu Lulang’ tobacco. The quality is different from the Rajangan that he grows to sell but he has always smoked the local Kedu Lulang variety so he continues to grow enough for himself. Only one of his two sons has shown an interest in growing tobacco. He helped the first year and is learning about the necessary techniques to grow a healthy crop. Mashuri thinks he will help him in the future and then decide if he will rent enough land to grow some on his own. He already helps his father and his other brother maintain an orchard of Salak trees. Salak fruit is indigenous to Indonesia and doesn’t look like a fruit at all. It is also called ‘snake fruit’ because the skin of the large fig shaped fruit is reddish-brown, shiny and scaly, like that of a snake. Salak is as hard as a rock and although their isn’t much edible fruit beneath the scaly skin, it has a reputation of being one of the favorites amongst Indonesians. Mashuri lives on the land that belonged to his ancestors. His house, built in 1957 by his father, was built on the same corner of the property where his grandparents and great grandparents house stood. The layout of the house and garden have changed over the years, improvements were mostly influenced by what crops they were growing. His house and garden together occupy 1600 square meters and he has a field adjacent to the garden that is 3000 square meters. He rents other parcels of land for a total of 7000 square meters. Ten years ago they added a grocery store to the side of the house that faces a busy street. His wife cooks food items that they sell along with a variety of things such as soap, rice, phone cards, cigarettes and coffee. Now that they raise catfish and have an abundance of eggs, the list of items for sale has grown and the store is a very busy place.
SUSTAINABILITY
Philip Morris Interntional has helped farmers learn energy saving techniques that can be easily implemented into a daily routine. Bio gas, made from cow manure, is one such initiative. It is a low cost and sustainable solution that provides fuel for lamps and gas stoves. Surabaya July 2012
Crops are rotated to help maintain proper nutrients in the soil. Tobacco, rice, and corn are rotated over a period of three to four years. Grasses to feed cattle are also planted to help build up the soil. Lombok August 2011
Sesbania grandiflora ’Turi’, Acacia auriculiformis and Acacia mangium trees are the trees of choice for most wood for fuel programs in Indonesia. Philip Morris International is commited to growing sustainable tobacco. The leaves from the Sesbania trees are good for feeding livestock. Trees are seen growing on the dirt walls surrounding rice and tobacco fields.
The children of local farmers learn the importance of sustainability through a program developped at their school with the help of Philip Morris International. The parents are involved in the program as well. They are proud to see their children becoming good stewards of the environment.
SAMA SAMA
SPECIAL THANKS Philip Morris International Mark Rusni Syaifullah Annas Sadhana Andrew Cockburn Universal Leaf -Pandu Sata Berend Prummel Aaron Brower The staff at Pandu Sata’s guesthouse Fritz Bossert Lucy Hazlegrove Bill Hazlegrove Cary Kelly David Mickenberg The Taubman Museum
It has been about 18 years since we stopped growing tobacco at ‘Forkland’, our family’s farm in Cumberland County, Virginia. The weathered old barns are still standing. The tobacco sticks piled in the corners of the tobacco barns are gathering cobwebs and make perfect fortresses for field mice. The fire pits which once cradled logs that would burn for days are now covered with tarps. A variety of discarded objects, the flotsam and jetsam of farm life, empty seed bags, fertilizer, odd parts to old tractors litter the charred and pock marked floors. The sunken graves of our tobacco past. Tobacco was an integral part of the lives of my ancestors. It was a relationship between man and this singular plant that was shared by nearly everyone in colonial Virginia and one that made a long lasting mark on my own family for centuries. My fascination with this powerful plant could be called an addiction. I miss the spicy smell of dark fired tobacco curing in the barns, and even though I love the smell of cigar and pipe tobacco, I was never a real smoker. What draws me in to tobacco is it’s history, its resliency against all odds. It is just a plant, but one that has shaped economically, historically even geographically almost every country on the planet for hundreds of years. As a photographer I feel strongly that documenting the changes in tobacco cultivation is of historical significance. I realized perhaps too late the importance of photographing the changes that were taking place at our own famly farm. A big part of our family’s history disappeared before I was able to create an archive of images or preserve the stories. It was this realization that led me to begin a personal journey in to the lives of other tobacco growing families around the world. Tobacco People started in Virginia, the Connecticut River Valley, Lancaster, Pennsylvania and The Dominican Republic. With the support of Philip Morris International, an even larger archive of photographs and videos has been made possible and now includes Brazil, Indonesia and Malawi. The cultivation of tobacco is much the same no matter where you go. There is a familiar rhythm that is played out over the growing and harvesting season that is familiar amongst the farmers. It is against the backdrop of sameness, of familiarity, that the people, the cultures and at times the plant itself, like clouds against a blue sky stand out brilliant and unique.