Over the years, West Nusa Tenggara has slowly built a reputation as a beach-lover’s paradise. Located to the east of better-known Bali, it is comprised of the main islands of Lombok and Sumbawa and occupies an area of 20,000 kilometers and an estimated population of four million people. The Gili islands, comprised of Trawangan, Air and Meno, are especially popular among backpackers for white, sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters and spectacular coral reefs.
But there’s another reason why the Ministry of Culture and Tourism would like more visitors to come to the islands — the province’s burgeoning pearl industry.
But there’s another reason why the Ministry of Culture and Tourism would like more visitors to come to the islands — the province’s burgeoning pearl industry.
“West Nusa Tenggara produces the world’s best pearls,” said Jero Wacik, minister of culture and tourism, during the second annual Lombok Sumbawa Pearl Festival at the Santosa Resort and Villas at Senggigi Beach. The event, held 30 minutes away from the provincial capital of Mataram last Thursday to Saturday, was part of efforts by the ministry and the provincial government to strengthen the position of West Nusa Tenggara as a must-see destination.
“We should include Lombok and Sumbawa’s pearls in building up its reputation as tourist destination,” Jero said. West Nusa Tenggara is the biggest pearl-producing region in Indonesia, with output that surpasses Bali, Sulawesi, Papua and Maluku.
According to Zainul Madji, governor of West Nusa Tenggara, the pearl industry in Lombok and Sumbawa started in 1985. He said that there are now 36 pearl producers listed in the province occupying 6,000 hectares of land. Producing around 800 kilograms of pearls each year, the industry employs an estimated 1,360 workers.
“The pearl has become a very important element in our province,” he said.
Zainul said that pearls from the province come in three different colors — bronze, metal and emerald — which are unique to the area. He added that because of their beauty, the gems are known as the “Queen of Pearls.”
Among pearl traders, Indonesia’s pearls are famously known as South Sea pearls. And the country should not take this industry lightly.
“Pearls from Indonesia dominate around 53 percent of the world market,” said Fadel Muhammad, the maritime affairs and fisheries minister.
But despite this dominance, Fadel said that Indonesia is still unable to maximize profits because the pearl industry is heavily controlled by companies from Japan, Europe and the United States. “We can’t set the price level,” he said.
This situation is aggravated by the fact that 90 percent of pearl farming in the country is financed by foreign businesses, mostly from Japan and Australia.
Local producers are currently facing two main hurdles to becoming independent from foreign investment: funding and technology. “The banks should give more loans to our local pearl producers,” Fadel said. “Many of our producers also don’t have the most advanced machinery to produce the best quality of pearls.”
To help improve the industry, Fadel said the government should be more organized. He suggested establishing a “pearl bank” to control the quality and price of pearls coming from the country.
According to Fadel, the abundance of freshwater pearls is one reason why the price of Indonesia’s sea pearls has dropped significantly since 2006. “We have to do something about it,” he said.
Enggar Dwi Wicaksono, a pearl producer, agrees with Fadel. He said that there should be more quality control in the local pearl industry because shoddy products had affected prices. For instance, instead of being known for the more expensive and sought-after seawater pearls, the province has somehow become known for freshwater pearls.
According to Enggar, these pearls are sourced from freshwater oysters. A sea oyster can only produce one pearl while a freshwater oyster can produce about 100 to 1,000 pearls during each harvest.
There is a difference in quality between the two. “The glow that a freshwater pearl has can only last up to five years, while the beauty of a sea pearl can last forever,” he said.
Enggar said that the process of farming sea pearls takes up to three years. When the oysters are one and a half years old, farmers will inject the pearl nucleus into each oyster. The nucleus is the pearl seed that impregnates the oyster and produces the prized gem.
He said that without a quality nucleus it is impossible to create a quality pearl. The pearl nuclei are imported from the United States and Japan.
Ida, another pearl producer, said that pearls basically have five types of shapes: perfectly round, semi-round, water drop, oval and baroque (scrambled shape).
“The round shape is the most expensive one,” she said.
Ida said that a good quality sea pearl can sell for as much as Rp 2 million ($220) per gram, while a moderate-quality sea pearl usually costs from Rp 75,000 to Rp 100,000 per gram.
“The expensive pearls shine so much brighter than the cheap ones,” she said.
While Enggar said that his company sold freshwater and sea pearls, he decided not to bring the freshwater variety to the pearl festival.
“Our company has a commitment to promote the sea pearls, as that’s what West Nusa Tenggara should be known for,” he said. “More people should know about the beauty of pearls from Lombok and Sumbawa.”
Oky Marzuki Nyamat, 25, originally from Jakarta, moved to Mataram a year ago. “You don’t find quality pearls except in this area,” he said. “The government should be able to make pearls [from the province] an added attraction aside from the beautiful scenery.”
Jero, the tourism minister, is confident of West Nusa Tenggara’s tourism potential. “This event should provide the perfect momentum to attract more tourists to visit the province,” he said of the pearl festival.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, more than 600,000 local and international tourists visited West Nusa Tenggara in 2009. For 2012, the ministry hopes to welcome one million tourists to the province.
Jero is certain the pearl industry will bring in more tourists.
“In the future, people will come to enjoy the beaches and buy the pearls,” he said.
Posts
Post a Comment