Opini : Sago in Papua and Their Current Investment

Natural Sago Plots in Kais South Sorong, West Papua

In the new Year of 2016, Indonesia President Mr. Joko Widodo (JOKOWI) visited and officially opened the biggest modern Sago Factory in Indonesia belong to PT. Perhutani Persero. Eventhough there is no clear info who is the owners and legal manager of the concession now but since 2013 about 40,000 ha of Sago plots in Kais, Metamani and Kokoda of South Sorong District has been granted for big commercial sago industry. As confirmed by the the General Manager PT Perhutani in Kompas January 1/2016 that they targeting to manages 30,000 Ton of sago starch every year. The total 150billion rupiah investment is targeted to gets the annual revenue up to 100 billion rupiah from their overall annual production. Japan, chine and Taiwan become the targets of investment markets that PT Perhutani has putting.

But there are big question appearing here at the customary community those in de facto claim the sago plots as their land rights about the benefits and cost of impacts they would gets from the investment. Jokowi on his opening speech pointed out his wishes to the industry could bring social changes at the community level. Despite of their positive targets in bringing up economic growth and revenues to the state the high targets of exploitation of natural sago could creates ecological problems or event raw material scarcity. West Papua provinces actually has experienced with sago Industry in Arandai Teluk Bintuni about 12 year ago ran by PT Jayanti Group that exploited large number of sago trunk without proper replanting or sustainable plantation plan. The overcapacity of Industry and in consistent calculation of natural sago production make the quick scarcity from the initial planned. 

Papua is the mother of Sago and become the most richest sago plots in the world with total about 1,25 million ha as confirmed by Bakorsurtanal in 1996 and remain validated by Flach, Karafir et all  in 2006. Jayapura, Waropen, South Sorong, Bintuni Bay and Merauke are the major place with larges sago plots. Not only large in areas the sago in Papua is also richest in species or variety. 2006 International sago symposium in Jayapura on their report showing surprising number which are more that 30 sago specifies in Papua with Metroxylon Sagu and Metroxylon rumphii as the two famous species and their spread from the coast line to 700 m above sea level. When Yunus Yumte did his research in South Sorong 8 years ago he found that mature sago trees could reach the diameter of 64 cm and tall without leave up to 27 m within he calculated that total sago powder that community could produce from one mature sago tree up to 800kg. This mostly harvested and extracted in 2 weeks using traditional technique.

Ecologically sago plots/forests are part of the vulnerable ecosystem because it is the natural wall for sea water infiltration, abrasion because of gradual wave, and regulator of fresh water to the people. Sago is also home of big number of biodiversity includes birds, swamp snake and wild pigs. Socially sago is the symbol of culture for Papuan, natural building material and source of foods for people. Which means changing sago purposes into industry will enormously changes its social and ecological functions. So expanding sago plantation in Papua is about understanding the social and ecological vulnerability of changes.

Sago for local Foods, Traditional extraction by IPs in Kais, South Sorong - West Papua

From my perspective and understanding the natural sago behavior that have limited lifetime the concept and designing of sustainable sago plantation with social orientation may needs to be putted as the key principle on its investment protocol before expanding the licenses. The correlation of community livelihood, rights and claim to sago plots should also aknowledge important to meets what Jokowi has wished. At least several early steps should be build includes:

1. Clearly understanding the ecological behavior and function of sago plots in each targeted investment sites. Place like Kais, Kokoda and Metamani for me is high vulnerable with floods because of theirs geographic position and waters that stored in sago plots. The plots that also in unity with swamp forest includes nipah palm trees is a home of large number of biodiversity. 
2. Sago for sustainable local foods stock. Delineating and secure the community foods plots at the beginning is crucial to provide a guaranty for sustainable local foods. large scale sago plantation should able to maintain the values and cultures of social assets includes local food security for generation. Not captured all the plots for industry and transform people consumption patterns into other non sago foods
3. Sago for mitigate the impact of climate changes to secure carbon in big amount. Even though only few study available about the carbon stock in Sago but sago that growth wildly in the swamp forests secure big amount of carbon. Transforming sago to other land uses purposes would directly realize amount of carbon to the air.

As addition to the since Sago is one of Papua symbol so having a regulation that protects and monitor the uses of sago for industry and legally binding to apply sustainable management plantation approaches are crucial to maintain the social, ecological and cultural value of Sago to Papuan. Further understanding the rights of IPs and their dependency to sago production are crucial to appropriately develop a partnership management mechanism and agreeing on benefit sharing of the rights to land and sago plant.