KUTAI KARTANEGARA - PT Pertamina Hulu Kalimantan Timur (PHKT), which is part of Zone 10 Pertamina Subholding Upstream Regional 3 Kalimantan, is currently developing liberika coffee in Prangat Baru Village, Marang Kayu District, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province. Through the Civet Coffee Village Program in Prangat Baru Village (Kapak Prabu), the liberika coffee development program has succeeded in becoming one of the Gold PROPER candidates. PROPER is a Company Performance Rating Program in Environmental Management organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

Before becoming a coffee farmer, the farmer's activity in Prangat Baru Village was rubber gardening. Due to the condition of old rubber plants, no replanting, and declining rubber prices, farmers finally switched to produce coffee. However, the lack of knowledge and skills about coffee farming in the beginning of planting, made the farmers directly satisfy with the outcome, such as: correct planting procedures, infertile land conditions, and falling coffee prices, so that in the end they had to depend on middlemen.

PHKT came to offer assistance and guidance in the coffee business through the Kampung Kopi program. A number of trainings were carried out, ranging from seeding procedures, keeping coffee well fruitful, correct harvesting methods, coffee processing, serving procedures, and also making attractive packaging. Now farmers can manage coffee plantations well, specifically, to maintain good soil quality, the farmer groups learned how to maintain and increase the fertility of garden soil with compost, who assisted by Santan Terminal PHKT. Through the Corporate Social Innovation (CSI) Biogreening activity, Santan Terminal has been able to process organic waste from catering company partners into Santan Terminal compost.

The head of the Coffee Farmers Group, Rindoni, S.Pd., stated that, they are now aware that coffee can also provide a large income if they are able to manage coffee plantations from upstream to downstream. "We believe that the coffee village is capable of becoming a typical Kalimantan coffee producer, if only this coffee is managed in a good and right way which can lead prosperity to the farmers," said Rindoni.

The Head of Prangat Baru Village, Fitriati, A, Md.Keb., explained that, the coffee grown by the Kampung Kopi Group is liberica coffee, a type that is rarely cultivated in Indonesia. "If the quality can be maintained with quality packaging, it will have a great potential in improving the economy and welfare of farmers in order for them to sell Ax Prabu coffee outside their region," said Fitriati.

In 2021, PHKT has facilitated this group with a comparative study on the management of coffee education in Malabar Mountain Coffee, Pangalengan District, West Java. The group then developed a follow-up activity plan for the comparative study, namely the construction of nursery facilities, drying luwak coffee beans, procurement of liberika coffee bean processing equipment, as well as packaging and marketing of liberika coffee beans.

The Kampung Kopi group diligently continued to increase production, as well as the quality of coffee beans with the purpose of ranging private sector, students, stakeholders, and other guest visitation.  Therefore, PHKT continues to encourage other groups to be able to replicate the planting of Liberika coffee seeds. In 2021, it has been recorded that 4,070 additional Liberica coffee seedlings were planted in 4 hectare of land area by 15 group members. In a way, the Kapak Prabu program is not only able to generate added economic value, but is also able to contribute to the carbon absorption of 125 tons of C02 and the release of 80 tons of gas 02.

Santan Terminal's superintendent, Binto Iskandar Tobing, hopes that, through the empowerment of Kopi Luwak village farmer groups, it can provide benefits to the community, "We expect that Kapak Prabu can become an icon of Luwak Coffee Liberika edutourism which can have a positive impact on social, economic and environmental sustainability on a larger scale.” said Binto.

This activity is also in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were also launched by PT Pertamina (Persero), namely goal 8: decent work and economic growth; goal 12: ensure responsible production and consumption patterns; and goal 15: protect terrestrial ecosystems.