Bali News

Varied of coconut trees being intensively develop in Bali. This development aimed to fulfill ritual necessity held by the people. “Coconut plant expansion for ritual function reached around 66 hectares from its original 311 hectare in 2009,” said head of Bali Province Plantation Agency, Ir. Made Sudharta, M.S. in Denpasar, Monday (March 8).

He said that his party already supplied 25.000 seeds that had been planted on the rainy season of December last year. That extension conducted at every public land, temples’ land as well as both sides of the street which also has greening plants function.

“We keep conducting coconut expansion and intensification through maximum potential utilization,” said Made Sudharta. He added that coconut expansion and intensification during 2009 reached for about 311 hectare with full support from local budgetary and expense as well as from self-supporting farmers.

Bali has varied of coconut trees such as deres, dalam, hybrid coconut and elephant coconut, spread in eight regencies and one city in Bali with total land area 177.783 hectare. Balinese people viewed coconut trees as very special plant since it able to give lots of benefit in people dailies life especially in relation with tradition and ritual activity of Hindus in Bali. Young coconut leaves for varied of offering tools or known as banten as it is for Hindus religious ceremony necessity. Splintered ribs of the palm leaf for broom, the leaf sheath to feed the cattle or the buffalo still it also could use for firewood. Meanwhile it trunk can be use for building material, the base for table or chair and could break through export marketing.

Besides, the coconut skin also can be use for rope and mat, explained Sudharta. Bali in 2009 could produce coconut for 67.150 ton or 99.93 percent from the initial target that was around 67.200 ton.

Most of them processed into copra for inter island trading with Surabaya, East Java and remaining will be for local people consumption, said Made Sudharta. Moreover, Bali plantation sector keep raising, it is seen from Nilai Tukar Petani (NTP) – farmer rate exchange – raised 1.16 percent from 132.15 percent into 133.68 percent in January 2010.

“The escalation is supported by cacao price improvement in dry beans form,” said head of Bali Central Statistic Agency, Ida Komang Wisnu. He said that cocoa prices reached twenty one million per ton or Rp 21.000 per kilogram. This improvement affected NTP index should be paid by the farmer. Ida Komang Wisnu also added that the index raised 0.99 percent that is 120.73 percent from 119.54 percent.

That condition due to the household consumption escalation for 1.16 percent precisely from 122.87 percent to 124.30 percent. Household consumption escalation itself happened due to the food subgroup’ price escalation into 2.45 percent.

This condition is really affected by sugar, tea and soft drink price escalation. Cocoa resulting in escalating NTP, Bali in 2009 produce 6.800 ton or more than its initial target for 101 percent or around 6750 ton. That production showed 40 ton escalation compared with last year production that merely about 6.710 ton.

News by Nusa Bali