SEKTI Jember Strengthens Robusta Coffee Farmers' Collective Economy Through Coffee Powder Production

The Independent Farmers Union (SEKTI) of Jember is a farmer organization in Jember Regency, East Java. One of its member communities, the Gunung Gumitir Farmers' Silaturahmi Forum (FSPG), consists of farmers from three villages in Silo District: Grahan, Sumberjati, and Sidomulyo. Of the three, Sidomulyo Village is known as a center for robusta coffee production in Jember.

Around 88% of Sidomulyo Village residents depend on coffee as their main livelihood. However, the majority of farmers only have small plots of land, and many even work as farm laborers on plantations owned by Perum Perhutani KPH Jember. For those who have their own land, the area is limited, so the harvest is not sufficient to sustain the family economy.

In addition to limited land, coffee farmers in Sidomulyo Village face various other challenges, such as low productivity, less than optimal coffee bean quality, and limited market access. The main problem in coffee processing is the high water content in the coffee beans, which reduces the quality and leads to low selling prices. As a result, many farmers are trapped in a cycle of debt to loan sharks. As payment, they often have to hand over dried coffee beans (oce) at prices far below market prices, worsening their economic conditions.

To address this issue, FSPG and SEKTI Jember, with the support of the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding, are running a farmer empowerment program to be able to produce their own ground coffee. This program involves 477 farmers from eight SEKTI Jember member communities, including young farmer groups, who now have the skills to process coffee until it is ready to sell. 

The program will be implemented in stages from May to July 2024. Starting with the formation of a working group of young farmers and the procurement of production facilities, participants will receive training in selecting quality coffee beans and processing them into robusta coffee powder. Furthermore, production facilities will be built, including a drying area and a traditional roasting place with four furnaces.

In mid-June to late July 2024, the working group began to apply new skills. The production process begins with drying the coffee beans for four days, then roasting them either traditionally or using a roasting machine, before finally being ground into coffee powder. The final product is packaged in three packaging variants (50 grams, 100 grams, and 200 grams) and distributed to eight Local Farmer Organizations (OTL) SEKTI Jember and sold at local coffee shops. To support marketing, promotional materials such as banners and product education are provided.

With a more organized production and marketing system, this program not only increases the selling value of Sidomulyo robusta coffee but also strengthens farmer solidarity in the economic chain. In addition, the involvement of young farmers in coffee processing and marketing creates new job opportunities at the local level.

Through various stages that have been passed, SEKTI Jember and FSPG have succeeded in building a foundation for collective economic resilience based on coffee production, opening up new opportunities for farmers to improve their welfare independently and sustainably.