Category: News From The Field

All Indonesian people celebrate Independence Day on August 17 every year, whether in cities or villages, even abroad.

Every corner of the country the celebration is held in a different form. Color the celebration with a ceremony at the office or at school, say a prayer, hold a folk party or just enliven the atmosphere with folk games.

The workers at the Goldteak plantation also celebrate Indonesia’s Independence Day by building a gate and participating in village activities. All the children joined the school for the ceremonies and games. They made a special gapura (entrance gate) with special decoration for the celebration, they all pray that Indonesia will always be prosperous.

After the Covid pandemic period passed, Adi returned to Indonesia and was able to visit Goldteak plantation. Met with all workers and checked the plantation, condition of the trees and also the environment which is always maintained by the workers.

The rainy season has ended and summer has been starting, the leaves start to fall and the Teak plantation looks brighter because the sun light can reach and touch the ground. Grass grow slower because the soil is covered by dry leaves. In some areas, it is still shady but the other area it is humid.

The local government builds the road in Cibening village part by part due to limited funds. The road to GoldTeak plantation is not all made of cast cement, some parts are still clay, stones and rocks. During the rainy season, the road is muddy and slippery, the sand was washed away by the water.

After rainy season ended, villagers and the guardians repair the damaged road together. They collect the stones and rebuild the road. People who walk, drive and ride are happy when the pass the road.

“Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success.” (Edward Everett Hale)

The Solomon teak is a tree which its wood  is durable and resistant to weather changes compared to other types of wood. In addition, Solomon teak has different fibers and colors, is smoother and lighter than Asian teak.

Solomon teak has many benefits and advantages:

– Solomon teak can be planted on dry or critical land

– This plant is also strong against wind and extreme weather

– If this plant is hit by lightning and burns, the remaining roots will

bring out new plants

– This plant is strong and easy to care for, rarely gets disease and is friendly to inter cropping plants

– Solomon teak tree is fast growing, its upright trunk and few branches make this tree an ideal commercial weight

– Solomon teak wood  has good quality and  high selling price, it is increasing by 15% flat every year.

To get a healthy and strong trees, Solomon teak trees need direct sunlight to grow well. The ideal spacing for the growth of Solomon teak is 3-3.5 m between trees so that each hectare will produce 1000-1200 teak trees. Teak leaves are wide and dense will produce a wide canopy, so this plant can be expected to be the best carbon-absorbing tree.

For those who want to cultivate Solomon teak, there will be many benefits, besides the trees has  high-value wood, and can green dry areas, this plant can also produce oxygen for the environment and the ecosystem of the area.

This month, Dewi were accompanied by five employees from New Energy Matrix to visit the PT GoldTeak plantation in Cibening village. The five employees are Faris, Bambang, Attina, Allyssa and Lita. They wanted to gain experience and knowledge about the plantation as well as about Solomon teak and other trees planted there. The trip was exiting and they wish to visit the plantation again.

Hari Raya Allowance (THR) is a worker’s income right (non-wage income) that must be paid by the Employer/Company to workers ahead of Religious Holidays in the form of money (Ministry of Manpower Regulation No. 6 of 2016).

The religious holidays in Indonesia are Eid al-Fitr for Muslim, Christmas for Catholic/Protestant, Nyepi for Hindu and Vesak Day for Buddhist.

According to economic data, the benefit of THR is to reduce consumer debt that is usually incurred by the community during the holiday. And as a source of family finance for basic needs because before the Hari Raya holidays the price goes up. THR is also needed for the people who ho back to the village to visit the family and relatives. In addition, Muslim workers usually use THR funds for religious purposes such as paying zakat, infaq or alms. Workers of other religions will use THR funds for religious celebrations such as Christmas, Nyepi and Vesak.

As in previous years, PT Goldteak distributed Hari Raya Allowances to employees and workers. All of them received the THR with joy, because when the economic condition is still difficult, they still have jobs and received THR to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with their families.

Pruning is a step to remove some parts of plants such as branches and twigs, the aim is to get a certain shape, so that sunlight is able to illuminate plants optimally and photosynthetic activity can take place properly, normally and produce more oxygen from plants. Pruning also aims to detect pests and diseases as well as simplify the process of harvesting the plant.

Another benefit of pruning is to reduce the burden on plants, so that the thickness of leaves, twigs, branches, flowers and fruit can be adjusted. In addition, pruning is also useful for improving plant quality and environmental conditions such as humidity, air, light, wind circulation and temperature.

Pruning activities for teak trees at GoldTeak plantation are carried out regularly by the guardians, although using simple tools but regular maintenance makes the trees healthier.

When the damaged nature has been rehabilitated and becomes good, the ecosystem naturally arranges flora and fauna and useful for the environment. Since GoldTeak started planting trees in Cibening village, nature has helped restore the habitat of several types of animals like insects and birds, clean air and availability of water.

After more than ten years, the people of Cibening village often find some animals that never appeared before. Not infrequently they find wild boars, monkeys, bats, various types of birds, butterflies, pangolin and snakes.

Recently, when the workers were clearing the grass and weeds in the plantation, they found a snake, not once but several times. They found there was a snake’s nest near the damp bushes with many unhatched eggs. Types of ground snakes, tree snakes and other types of snakes are very dangerous. The workers are still looking for other snake nests, it is feared that the eggs will soon hatch.

Deforestation is a major problem in Indonesia, around 64% of land in Indonesia is forest, but forest area continues to shrink due to global climate change and exploitation of natural resources. PT GoldTeak only owns about 40 hectares of teak plantations and other hard wood trees, and it is a proof that the company cares about climate change in Indonesia. The reforestation program on critical land is the best solution to restore ecosystems that are starting to be damaged and extinct.

Water is the source of life for all creatures on earth. It is needed  by humans,animals and plants. Because water is needed by all living things, in 2010 water was designated as one of the human rights through Resolution No. 64/292 by the United Nations (UN).

Currently the global community is facing a water crisis in terms of quality and quantity. The causes of the crisis include the climate change crisis, population explosion, industrialization, deforestation, and the unwise use of water by humans. Scarcity of clean water due to water pollution so that the water is not good and safe for consumption and there is a struggle for water resources.

In the GoldTeak plantation there are several springs that flow throughout the year, although the amount of water is not much during the dry season but continues to flow. There are also several wells with a depth of five to eight meters which are always filled with water.

Protecting water from all pollution is the same as preserving life. Keeping the environment green by planting trees is an appropriate and wise action so that the soil can store water for future generations.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned of extreme weather from December 2021 to February 2022. There will be potential for high waves and flooding in some coastal areas. The extreme weather at the end of 2021 in the form of high rainfall was influenced by a number of things, ranging from the ongoing rainy season, the existence of La Nina, to the Asian monsoon.

Every rainy season, GoldTeak’s workers are always aware of some critical points where rainwater to flow from the hill, they will improve the flow of water by replacing the bamboo siren that was installed last year. They will also dredge the place where the rainwater flows on the side of the path so the path is not eroded.

Workers must inspect the trees on the outermost side of the plantation because they have the potential to fall when there is strong wind or typhoon and even be struck by lightning.

Until now the condition of the plantation is safe but workers also have to take care of their health.

To get healthy trees needs continuous maintenance. From the first planting until the age of five, all trees should receive special attention. After the trees are over five years old, routine maintenance is mandatory.

The main maintenance is the provision of periodic fertilizers, replanting if there are dead trees and controlling pests that attack young plants. Every rainy season grass and weeds thrive, if not weeded it will take away the soil nutrients that trees need for growth. In summer, the availability of water is also very important to keep young plants able to survive until the rainy season arrives.

When the tree is getting tall and branching it needs pruning so that sunlight can touch the ground and the trunk growth can be good and straight.

If there are intercropping plants between teak trees, it is better because the plants can add nutrients to the soil, such as peanuts, green beans or other types of legumes.

Thinning is necessary when the tree is seven or eight years old and trees that are not growing well are found. These trees must be cut down so that healthy trees can grow better and faster.

Environmental care also needs to be considered, the cleanliness of the area and water sources must be maintained because dry leaves will easily burn in the summer. On the contrary during the rainy season, trenches and places prone to landslides must also be maintained so that landslides or fallen trees do not occur.