Association of Indonesian Tobacco Farmers’ (APTI) East Java branch chairman Amin Subarkah said in Probolinggo last week that the unpredictable change in weather over the last few years confused farmers.

“Tobacco plants are sensitive to climate change, especially rainfall,” Amin said.

Global warming, he added, had shortened the cycle of the drought to between two and three years, making it difficult for farmers to predict the beginning of the dry and rainy season. This often led them to plant tobacco at the wrong time.

“Normally by the end of April to the end of May, farmers finish planting tobacco. Because of the unpredictable weather, however, even up to July farmers have not finished planting,” Amin said.

Tobacco farmers in Jember have also experienced the same thing. Deputy chairman of the Jember Commission for Tobacco Affairs (KUTJ), Abdul Kahar Muzakkir, said unpredictable weather had often caused bad harvest and poor-quality seedlings for the next planting season.

“What occurred in April is an example,” he said. “Farmers predicted the dry season, but then it rained later that month and about 50 percent of their tobacco plantations were damaged.”

He said that many farmers suffered financial loss as a result.

Abdul also said that climate change had caused the emergence of new plant diseases and pests, adding more burden.

Amin further said that unpredictable temperatures decreased the quality of tobacco produced by farmers in the region.

In terms of productivity, he said, the condition was concerning. This year, for example, a hectare of plantation yielded an average of 1.2 tons of tobacco and only 900 kilograms in October, compared to 1.5 tons per hectare in 2008.

APTI has over 2,000 member farmers across the province. They are spread over 20 regencies.

However, only a few in many regions have reportedly succeeded in maintaining productivity.

Among them are farmers in Sumenep and Pamekasan regencies on Madura Island, two of East Java’s biggest tobacco production centers. Other production centers include Jember, Probolinggo and Bondowoso regencies. The total tobacco plantation area in the province is 110,000 hectares.

Tobacco researcher Josi Ali Arifandi from Jember State University’s School of Agriculture confirmed the negative impacts of climate change on tobacco productivity, saying that the temperature increased to a 37 degrees Celsius average this year from 31 degrees last year.

“This affects the quality of tobacco leaves, making them narrower, thicker and less smooth due to disease or pests,” Josi said.

He added that the market presently preferred thin tobacco leaves, especially due to the small-sized cigarette product trend.

Popular

The illusion of self-sufficiency

We can do better in 2026

Indonesians oppose indirect regional polls