Low Tea Production Affected the Labor Wage
Three thousand acres of the tea plantation land lost due to converted each year. Thus be said by Dr. Shulton Arifin, National Board of Tea in the seminar event titled of ‘Memahami Permasalahan Upah dan Kemiskinan pada Industri Teh, Kasus : Indonesia, Malawi dan India / Understanding the Issues of Wages and Poverty in the Tea Industry. The Case: Indonesia, Malawi and India’, Friday (25/10), in the Campus of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) Darmaga. The tea production in 2003 achieved 169 thousand ton. But in 2010, the tea production dropped to 129.2 thousand ton. The declining of productivity and the vast tea garden brought far-reaching impact. The domestic tea industry weakened and the labor wage experienced the reduction.
Dr. Shulton predicted in the period of 20 years, Indonesian tea plantation could be a distant memory. Whereas the tea plantation besides could prevent the natural disaster of erosion, also became the pride of the nation and the tourist attraction. For it was in this seminar, the National Board of Tea, OXFARM, People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty (KRKP), International Certification Institute and IPB agreed to integrate perception and solicit inputs and joint solution for the sustainability of the national tea production
Meanwhile, Marselus Rentetana from the Ministry of Underdeveloped Areas delivered related to the tea production and the labor wage which was low, there should be the advocacy of the academics on the labor condition and the tea production. Moreover, there could be a pressure group to the farmers and the government, it was delivered that Indonesian tea was still worth to be developed. Meanwhile, Dr. Ir. Parulian Hutagaol from the Faculty of Economy and Management (FEM) of IPB delivered related to the labor wage and the tea industry, it should be the role of State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) or PT. Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) in the field of tea. The event which was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Human Ecology, Dr.Arif Satria, was also attended by lecturers, postgraduate students, associations and professionals. (ddh)
