TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Using enzymatic technology to revitalize sugar industry

Indonesian government announced the closing of at least 10 sugar factories in East Java by the end of 2017, forcing more than 100,000 family breadwinners into unemployment.

Safendrri Komara Ragamustari (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Bogor
Wed, July 12, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

Using enzymatic technology to revitalize sugar industry Field workers harvest sugarcane to have it ready for crushing in Purwosekar village in Malang, East Java. The cane will be sold either to brown sugar makers or large sugar factories, depending on its quality. Better quality cane will fetch a better price among brown sugar makers. (JP/Aman Rochman)

At the end of 2016, the Indonesian government announced the closing of at least 10 sugar factories in East Java by the end of 2017.

The reason for this decision, viewed from a purely technocratic perspective, was the inefficiency of extracting sugar from sugarcane. Many of those factories had been operating since the Dutch colonial period at the beginning of the 20th century and were said to lack the facilities for efficient sugar extraction.

Fast-forward to mid-2017: The decision has been met with fierce resistance from local people and governments, both of which would be economically affected. This development was to be expected.

A single sugar factory can employ about 15,000 workers. Shutting down of 10 of them can force more than 100,000 family breadwinners into unemployment.

Furthermore, Indonesia is one of the top 10 global sugarcane producers, producing 33 million metric tons of sugarcane.

Ironically, Indonesia still imports a half of the sugar it consumes, about 1.4 million tons. Thus, there is no doubt sugar production needs to be more efficient, but it needs to be done in a way that has less impact on society.

There are viable technological innovations that can be utilized to increase efficiency of sugar extraction from sugarcane.

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Using enzymatic technology to revitalize sugar industry

Rp 29,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 29,000
{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.