The tradition of farming in the State Forest Area: lesson learned from Batulanteh’s Production Forest Management Unit, West Nusa Tenggara Province

The research is targeted to identify the motivation of farming, the history of occupation, and the effects on the farmers’ livelihood employing an ex-ante approach that provides potential clues about tenurial factors. Data are collected through interviews and focus group discussions with 34 farmers and 10 key persons and analyzed descriptively. The research revealed that the farmers’ residential status are mostly migrant from Lombok Regency. They have been farming for 22 years since Perhutani Company recruited laborers for reforestation program. Economic pressure is presumably being the most reason for farmers to migrate to and cultivate the state forest areas. The changes authority of forest from Perhutani to forestry service, change the policy of forest management too, and unsettle the farmers. This anxiety can be decreased by increasing the sources of farmers’ income through training such as how to produce beverage juice from cashew fruit flesh and raising honey bees. In this regard, cooperation between industrial ministry, trade ministry, local government, and farmer groups is required, particularly for forest product marketing assistance. Additionally, a forest conservation agent is urgent to regenerate from the local farmers.

MICROCREDIT FOR MICRO-ENTREPRENEURS DEVELOPMENT IN ENDE DISTRICT

This study aims to examine the use of microcredit to improve business. Developing micro-entrepreneurs can create jobs to prevent urbanization and reduce poverties. The problems are micro-entrepreneur which are less professional to manage and low productivity. This study uses descriptive and qualitative analysis for 18 micro-entrepreneurs which got machine from Industrial Ministry. The largest contribution of Gross Regional Domestic Product of Ende District is the agricultural sector by 61.35%; its largest productions are cassava, rice, coffee, hazelnut, cashew, and cocoa. The results showed that contribution margin is still low, highly dependent on the season and manually processed; marketing are mostly done by direct sales, and shortage of capital. They need loan to increase the business, but improper utilization of capital can bring some difficulties. They must get some trainings and consultations either before get or used micro credit, because made micro-entrepreneurs have higher risk although they give higher profitability.

ANALISIS EFISIENSI SISTEM TATA NIAGA GULA DI INDONESIA

Debate on Indonesia’s sugar polisy was stimulated by the sharp increase in the sugar retail price after the implementation of import regulatory policy regim based on the Trade and Industrial Ministry Decree No. 643/MPP/Kep/9/2002.23 September 2002 revised with the Trade and Industrial Ministry Decree No. 527/MPP/Kep/9/2004/and followed by Ministry of Trade Decree No. 19/M-DAG/PER/4/2006 tanggal 19 April 2006.UsIng the annual data for the period of 1998-2004,this study examines the “reasonable sugar retail price “in Indonesia using two approaches i.e (1) import parity and (2) production cost and distribution ; and based on those reasonable sugar retail prices, this study try to analize the efficiency of the “system tataniaga gula “in Indonesia.The results show that because of the government policy intervension, sugar retail price paid by the sugar cosumer in Indonesia is higher than if no government intervention ( free Trade). It is about 43.07 % and 3.43.% higher based on the first and second approach, respectively, moreover , due to the various, government policies related to tariff and import regulation, cosumer lost for about Rp. 3.8 – Rp 6.2 Trillion a year, but producer get benefit for about Rp.3.2 – Rp 5.2 Trilion ayear. Hence, The dead weight loss due to the”system tataniaga gula “is about Rp. 06- 10 trillion a year.