Kerosene shortage hampers thousands of tobacco farmers in W. Nusa Tenggara

Panca Nugraha ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Mataram   |  Mon, 09/08/2008 10:57 AM  |  The Archipelago

A shortage of kerosene in East and West Lombok has prompted most of the area's 8,000 tobacco farmers to shut down their tobacco drying ovens, potentially affecting the livelihood of some 140,000 workers.

At least 13,800 drying ovens (locally known as omprongans) ceased operations due to the dearth of fuel.

According to local authorities, 27,000 tons of subsidized kerosene had been distributed to farmers in Lombok on Friday. With the tobacco season lasting until October, 40 percent of tobacco crops have yet to be harvested.

Lombok, in West Nusa Tenggara, supplies 75 percent of the nation's Virginia-style tobacco, local agriculture agency data reveal. Yearly tobacco production on the island is between 35,000 and 40,000 tons, across 22,000 hectares.

West Nusa Tenggara's Association of Oil and Gas Entrepreneurs (Hiswana Migas) had earlier estimated kerosene demand at 40,000 tons for the entire season.

The government has subsidized 27,000 tons of kerosene this harvest period.

"We hope the local administration can take care of the problem soon, otherwise farmers will have to buy kerosene that's actually allocated for households. If so, many people will have to go without it or face skyrocketing prices," West Nusa Tenggara Hiswana Migas secretary Nurdin Ending said. He was speaking after a Friday meeting with the Ampenan branch of state-run PT Pertamina and the Mataram office of the trade and industrial agency.

Bambang, an official at the agency, said the supply shortage in Mataram -- West Nusa Tenggara's capital -- was not caused by limited stock from Pertamina, but by increased demand from tobacco farmers.

"We have always met the city's demand of 115 tons of kerosene a day. Based on our research, the kerosene shortage facing Mataram for the past week was caused by higher demand from tobacco farmers in East Lombok," Bambang added.

The price of kerosene reached between Rp 4,000 and Rp 5,000 per liter in some areas of the capital, above the maximum price set by the government, at Rp 2,800 per liter.

Retailers in the province are now allowed to buy only 40 liters of kerosene every two days, rather than the 200 liters they used to purchase.

Aribawa, an employee from Pertamina's Ampenan branch, said an average of 500 tons of subsidized kerosene for tobacco farmers in Lombok had been distributed every day since June. Household demand on Lombok is 300 tons per day, with that of Sumbawa amounting to 130 tons.

The provincial administration has contacted the central government, through the BPH Migas oil and gas regulatory body and through PT Pertamina, to add to the quota of subsidized kerosene, administration secretary Abdul Malik said.

About 7,800 of the proposed 13,000 tons of kerosene had been approved, he explained, adding he did not know when the kerosene would be distributed throughout Lombok.

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