Make sure Forest Sustainability and Strengthening Palm Sugar Business in North Sumatra

As a member of the Environmental Forum (WALHI) North Sumatra, Palapa Indonesia Foundation focuses on the protection, management, and utilization of natural resources. With the form of a consortium, Palapa Indonesia Foundation has been providing assistance to the community in Bulu Mario Village since 2017. The condition of the Bulu Mario Village community itself has long depended on the last forest landscape in Tapanuli, the Batang Toru Forest, as a sap tapper. The Batang Toru area is also a habitat for orangutans and other biodiversity in North Sumatra.

Palapa Indonesia Foundation accessed the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding with a big goal, namely the preservation of biodiversity in the Batang Toru Forest. However, the preservation in question still allows the Bulu Mario Village community to utilize non-timber forest products. Based on the mapping of professions in the Bulu Mario Village community members, namely palm sap tappers, they decided together to focus on optimizing the market chain and supply chain of palm sugar commodities based on the management of natural resource potential.

Palapa Indonesia Foundation has carried out several activities, starting with the implementation of focused discussions between palm sugar craftsmen and potential stakeholders. Focused discussions were carried out in order to obtain relevant input to design a palm sugar business plan. In order to find out the market price and the profits obtained, market survey activities were also carried out. 

In the discussion, as many as 15 members of the palm sugar management group from Bulu Mario Village were able to compile a document of the future business plan. Through a series of discussions and workshops, the participants identified the need for raw materials, and built a wider market network, which finally resulted in a cooperation contract with three main buyers in Medan City and Padangsidimpuan. The last activity was intended to maintain the productivity of palm sap while maintaining biodiversity in the Batang Toru Forest through the planting of 1500 aren tree seedlings. The seedlings have been handed over to three communities to be planted later after the seedlings reach the planting age.

This program has a direct impact on 75 people involved as members and participants of the activity. With an intervention area of ​​500 hectares, this program has the potential to provide benefits to 1.369 people in Bulu Mario Village. The benefits in question include maintaining the sustainability of the Batang Toru Forest biodiversity and the availability of palm sugar in the local market.