ONGOING EXPANSION: Photo shows a palm oil nursery in Kalimantan. After Sukarno nationalised properties in Indonesia post-Independence,
expansion began again in the 1980s. Over the years many plantations had opened up in Kalimantan Barat. — Reuters photo

07/01/2013 (Borneo Post) - Many times I have crossed the border to Indonesia to see the expansion of oil palm, which began in the days of the Dutch. Soon after independence, Sukarno had nationalised properties. But expansion began again in the 1980s and over the years many plantations opened up in Kalimantan Barat.

The government used loans and built new plantations and mills, and as a lender the World Bank would require a consultant to check the work if it went according to plan. That was how Sime Darby Bhd made an entry into the areas and I was lucky to lead their consultancy arm of the plantations division at the time.

With private investors involved, more areas came under oil palm. Timber companies started to plant the land they had logged. I flew from Jakarta to Pontianak, and saw the mighty Kapuas river that went through the town with ships moored near the shops. The Mahkota Hotel and Kapuas Hotel were where I stayed.

The road to the new areas was winding and narrow. The journey would take over six hours. It was not unusual to see a lorry had overturned in the bushes. In some parts the houses of Dayaks lined the road, with their womenfolk walking to the rivers at the end of the day and black piglets squealing as they sprinted across the road.

In the old timber camps of the investor there was probably a skeleton staff but they still cooked good food, the rooms were ready, and the next morning after breakfast we would go out to see the lay of the land and form a plan in our mind.

The land was rolling with a few small hills, and the streams flowed under old log bridges. At my insistence, I would want to see the nearest big river, because that was where we would try to build our mill and put up tanks for the oil.

MIGHTY RIVER: Photo shows the Kapuas river that goes through the town of Pontianak, visible during the
flight from Jakarta to Pontianak.

But rivers fascinated me, and I liked to see the calm flow of massive volumes that went to the bend that was flanked by trees. Some of the guides would want to ask why I stood so long at the riverbank, but they would keep their views to themselves.

The plans for development would be drawn when I got back to show where the phases would start, beginning with the nursery, and the location of the houses. Some time was given to the design of the rest house because visitors, bankers and government officers would come and check, so we had to have air-conditioned rooms, clean water and a good kitchen.

There would be a wide verandah for sitting in the evenings for discussions or meetings. By the gate would be a hut for the satpam who would stand guard with their logbooks.

In the housing plans for the workers there would be the community halls, and churches and mosques, and the pumps to draw the water from the river with high tanks, and pipes allow for gravity flow to the houses.

On each visit I would see how the seedlings were planted in bags and lines of them would stretch in rows that followed the gentle terrain. For the local people who had not seen oil palm we had to train and make it fun so as to keep them.

The Javanese transmigrants had to adapt to their new place, with a simple house the government had built for each family, and some allowance to live on, until the plantation started to employ them. Over the years, on their plot of land around the house the coconut and rambutan trees would mature, and there would be shade at last.

From the land allocated to them and planted as an out-growers programme by the plantation, they would get more income. I saw them build brick houses, and some took contracts to transport oil palm fruit, a few opened shops, so the move had changed their lives.

For the Dayaks I have seen how they have gained with their plots of land. With high prices for their crops, more motorcycles were on the road. Even young boys and girls were riding them, some with hand-phones. I too would looked out for the new phone masts that had come up and if I got a signal I would stop and return the calls that I had missed.

Now I could cross the border by going by road through Tebedu, and see again the narrow roads to Bengkayang (there is a river flowing close to town). Otherwise I would stop at Singkawang, a town with clean streets and red and white banners flying on poles, and the houses and shops were painted in brown and cream.

The nasi padang shop ‘Roda Beringin’ served rendang, kikir and singkong and its high standards hadn’t changed. I would buy more Aqua mineral water, and perhaps a few cassettes and CDs as I still had a long way to go. Another piece of land was near Sambas, a town not far from our border. Some of the people from there came to work in Sarawak.

Now of course with the demand for manpower, it means that Indonesia too is short of labour. It is likely that fewer will leave their homeland as the rates of pay go up, and housing too will improve. The workers can see their children grow and enjoy family life.

For the plantations owners the time has come for them to think of their next move. Some will sell out to bigger owners. The prices of land keep going up, and the prices of planted areas are rising even faster. Some big owners are beginning to expand overseas.

With the fast pace of the last twenty years, many young planters and supervisors have been trained. They have had the chance for fast promotion, and many have gone to help plant in areas in countries like Liberia, Cameroon and Gabon.

With the expansion overseas, Indonesia is reaching a new stage in plantations.