Pertamina Hulu East Kalimantan Develops Luwak Coffee Education in Marangkayu

Harvesting Luwak coffee products in Prangat Baru Village, Marangkayu, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan. (Special)

PT Pertamina Hulu East Kalimantan (PHKT) in collaboration with a group of coffee farmers in Prangat Baru Village, Marangkayu, Kutai Kartanegara, has successfully developed a luwak coffee tourism educational area called Kampung Kopi Luwak or Kapak Prabu.

This program not only improves the local economy through the cultivation of Liberica coffee and Luwak coffee, but also supports the conservation of civet animals as part of the ecosystem that maintains the economic value of these coffee products.

This program also increases people’s income, from IDR 3.2 million per month in 2022 to IDR 4.7 million in 2023. Liberica coffee products also record a turnover of around IDR 72 million per year.

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Production capital savings of IDR 83 thousand per month from the use of solar panels, and PIRT (Food, Industrial, Household) and Halal certificates. The Liberika Luwak Coffee product has four coffee product differentiations, namely Liberika honey, Luwak Wild Process, Wine, and Natural Process.

“The number of tourists visiting Prangat Baru Village continues to increase, from 591 visitors in 2022 to 1,763 in 2023,” said Head of the Kapak Farmers Group, Prabu Rindoni.

He said his party was working with the Kutai Kartanegara Regency Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) to monitor the impact of increased visits on wild civet habitats.

“Planning for wild mongoose monitoring activities must be carried out in an integrated manner,” he said.

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The Kapak Prabu program started in 2020 when PHKT provided biogreening compost fertilizer assistance to groups of farmers. As development progressed, this area became an ecotourism center with the formation of four tourism awareness groups involving 152 beneficiaries.

Rindoni explained that farmer groups are now ready to move towards independence and are open to collaborating with various stakeholders, including the government and academics.

With the existence of the Indonesian Capital City (IKN), Luwak coffee from Kapak Prabu has great potential as a typical East Kalimantan souvenir. Marketing strategies, including collaboration with hotel associations, will increase the opportunities for this coffee product in the wider market.

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The Kapak Prabu program began when PHKT, as manager of the upstream oil and gas facilities at the Santan Terminal, provided assistance in the form of biogreening compost fertilizer to a group of coffee farmers in Prangat Baru Village in 2020. This collaboration continued until they succeeded in developing the sole cultivation of Liberika Coffee and Luwak Coffee. in East Kalimantan.

“As time goes by, the potential for Kapak Prabu to grow into an ecotourism village is marked by the formation of four tourism awareness groups (Pokdarwis) in Prangat Baru Village with a total of 152 beneficiaries,” said Rindoni.

After almost five years of assistance from PHKT, the Kapak Prabu Program is considered ready to move towards a complete independence stage. Rindoni explained that his party was open to collaborating with various other stakeholders, not only with PHKT.

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“Government involvement is also important, where the government must contribute to farmers by providing ideas that can be applied clearly. “Apart from that, academics can also help develop serious farmers so that the results are more optimal,” he said.

The existence of the Indonesian Capital City (IKN), according to Rindoni, provides an opportunity for Luwak coffee products to develop as typical East Kalimantan coffee souvenirs. This can be done by implementing a branding and marketing strategy for coffee products involving entities such as hotel associations in East Kalimantan.

In the future, Rindoni plans to build an integrated communal coffee processing system by adopting waste bank records. This system aims to maintain the quality of the Liberica coffee beans produced, namely with a cherry and cherry processing system green bean one place in the Luwak coffee village coffee house, Prarangat Baru Village. Members of the coffee farmer group there now have the ability to become trainers for farmers from other villages who have similar potential and challenges.

PHI Communication Relations & CID Manager Dony Indrawan believes that harmonious relationships with the community in the Company’s operational areas will support the success and sustainability of the Company’s operations and business. “Therefore, we support the development of community independence through innovative and sustainable CSR programs,” explained Dony. (J-3)