Emily Sutanto is one of the lucky gals awarded the title of "10 Most Powerful Women in Indonesia 2010." Not your typical farmer, Sutanto has also been named in the "100 Unique Indonesian Exporters," and has contributed as a guest speaker for the Biofach Germany 2010 conference on the development of Indonesia's fair trade. This farming guru talks to TOJ about organic rice in Indonesia.
How did you get interested in starting this type of business?
It was definitely not something that I was expecting. I had a career as an entertainment artiste in Singapore when I heard about the problem from a family friend that some organic rice farmers were producing beautiful rice but they couldn't sell it at a fair price. I was skeptical as to whether it was really organic because producers here usually just slap the word 'organic' on their packaging without certification. It is just a marketing tool to achieve higher profits.
So I went to take a look at the farm, and I was blown away by the enthusiastic spirit and the method, the farmers were using the SRI system of Rice Intensification. SRI is a better of way of growing rice, using less resources (less water and fewer seeds) but producing more health benefits for us (more nutritious grains for consumers, better health for farmers as they never come into contact with the harmful chemicals usually used on paddy fields), the environment (water saving, less methane gas because the rice is submerged in decomposed paddy roots that release methane gas and paddy fields are one of the biggest contributors of methane gas in Asia, biological diversity - the millions of soil organisms that work together to produce fertile soil is not drowned out by a flooded field), and humanity (more crops per hectare - up to 78 more, which addresses food security as we do not have enough food in the world, and more income for farmers as their land becomes more productive).
When I saw what they were doing I thought this is definitely something that the world should support. So I started working with them and taught them so they could understand what certification is all about, and bring them up to the international level which is very very tough. Finally, in July 2009, we received our certification. We passed the US, European, Japanese Organic Standards which are the three strictest in the world, and they are also fair trade certified, which protects the human rights of the farmers and gives them a sustainably premium income.
What inspired you to carry on ways of working with farmers?
I see the fruits of my labor. I think the biggest hurdle here is the mindset and this is especially true for farmers as they are not exposed to the world. Before any change can happen, you need to open your mind and view different perspectives. The farmers that I work with changed from ordinary small scale farmers who were slow to adapt to changes, stuck in Indonesia's bureaucratic mindset, to innovative small business farmers who now understand that learning is for life and welcome changes, and are independent and at times come up with innovative solutions.
They are doers who think globally, but act locally. This I can’t describe; it is very fulfilling for my soul, seeing that the nurturing I have given over the years has changed their lives. Sixty per cent of Indonesia's population are farmers and it is very sad to me that they are also seen as the lowest in the social hierarchy. They do not know how or what to do most of the time, because no one guides and teaches them. They have the purest hearts.
Was it difficult to work with other agencies/government sectors in relation to your business?
Yes of course! The bureaucracy here is crazy! When I started this project there was a lot that I had to do to convince others of and a lot to prove also! I think there are too many people here who are just talk, so I think the government also does not know who to support properly. However, I persisted and informed the relevant department of the progress and now they are very proud of this project which is often referred to as an exemplary project that cares for farmers' welfare and organic farming in Indonesia.
Can you please explain the difference between organically-grown rice and the regular rice in the market?
Organic rice is rice that is grown according to strict organic standards and is certified. A major misconception is that certification is a lab test showing that the rice is free of chemicals. This is not an organic certification because organic certification is done by an independant organic certification body accredited by the relevant govenment authorities that set the standard.
Example, for the USDA organic standard, the government only appoints a handful of certification bodies that are capable of inspecting. These bodies check everything, all processes involved. Not only does each farmer and his land have to be registered and inspected, the warehouse, drying, milling facilities have to be certified too. Even the seller (exporter) and the buyer (importer) have to be organically certified. This ensures that no contamination can occur to the final product when the buyer buys them. There is no point if the produce is organic, and it is mixed in the processing with a non-organic product. This is why rice that passes a simple lab test for pesticides is not organic, and can fail the certification because lab tests only check one point of the journey and organic certification involves so much more and checks every point of the journey until the product reaches the consumer.
How do you feel about other markets of rice in the South East Asian region? Is there a big potential of growth?
Thailand and Vietnam are huge producers and exporters of rice. They have plenty of government support and subsidies and advanced technology that makes their prices of rice lower than that of the rest of the world. However, climate change is affecting their productivity, as it is also for many other countries. I think that they are already at their peak, while for Indonesia, it can be managed better to produce more rice.
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Visit Indonesia Organic for in-depth information about organic crops, fair trade and other sustainable practices in Indonesia.
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