Indonesia: Chili Self-Sufficiency...Grow Your Own!

The price of one of Indonesia's staple foods, the humble chili, is rocketing up the charts. If it was an album it would be platinum many times over already. The price of a kilogram of the spicy peppers has gone over IDR 100,000. This is an increase of some five times the price this time last year. The rising price of the chili is one of the factors that are contributing to an overall rise in food prices which in turn is driving inflation in Indonesia.

The chili pepper is versatile and can be eaten raw with tahu or tempe or just about anything one wants to eat it with really (having a moment here reminiscing about raw green chilies and bakwan and tahu Sumedang) or it can be ground up into a paste and form the base of a whole variety of Indonesian sambals. Sambal Bali is a favourite of mine and my mother-in-law is a bit of legend when it comes to putting it all together.

But I digress.

There are probably a lot of factors that are causing the price of the chili to spike, which in turn is causing the temperatures of the masses to increase as well, but mainly the government is attributing the poor production on global weather patterns, La Nina to be exact. So says Hatta Rajasa anyways.

Rajasa's plan to combat rising prices is for Indonesians to get pro-active and plant chili plants in their yards; front, back and sides. Perhaps, residents could co-opt medium strips in the centre of roads into little chili farms and establish neighbourhood cooperatives to provide a steady supply to all who live close by. Rajasa has the full support of the Minister for Agriculture, Suswono in this drive to localise production of the humble chili in every Indonesian household.

The plan is not as far-fetched as it sounds. The government has already made provisions for chili seeds to be distributed to some 100,000 households in the provinces of Lampung, Banten and Jakarta. According to Suswono, chilies are easy to grow in Indonesia's tropical climate. Hey, Mr Minister of Agriculture, chili plants are pretty easy to grow anywhere, I have one in my front yard at the moment.

The surging chili price is just the tip of the iceberg. The reality is that the government is also making provisions to import another of Indonesia's staples, rice. The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) is responsible for collecting harvested rice. It has fallen well-short of its target.

The imports will be coming in from Thailand and Vietnam. The need to import rice and for home owners to grow their own chilies begs the question, "what are Indonesia's prospects for long-term food security like?" This is particularly so when one considers the inability to maintain food self-sufficiency in 2010 and 2011.

While the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and the Minister for Agriculture are promoting programs that encourage individual Indonesians to become food self-sufficient starting with chili production, the President, SBY, is pushing through regulations that are designed to make it easier to free-up land for agricultural production. Unfortunately, ensuring food security and self-sufficiency is not as simple as setting aside some land for agricultural production. The land does need to be brought into a productive state. The president was a little less clear on how production was going to be improved during these times of extreme weather conditions.

I reckon it would be pretty hard for some Indonesians to come to terms with the idea of having a meal that did not include chilies in it somewhere.

Domino's Pizza: A Franchising Oops Moment...

A Domino's Pizza store in Quakers Hill has copped a fine from the NSW Food Authority. The fine just happens to be a big one, the biggest so far in 2010. The fine is a hefty AUD 116,000 for the franchisee, Austotal Enterprise Partners. In addition, the director was fined a further AUD13,500 for some 24 breaches of the NSW Food Act.

The breaches primarily related to the endangering of customer health through the preparation of food in unsafe conditions. These conditions included preparing food amongst filthy appliances and rotting food. These breaches might not have been uncovered but for the complaints of customers who became violently ill from food poisoning after having eaten Domino's products.

This begs the question, "does the bad performance of a franchisee in a case such as this harm the brand as a whole?"

The reality is that this is a franchise store. It is owned by someone other than Domino's who are trading under the Domino's name.  Perhaps I should declare my past affiliations. I once managed a company-owned and then a franchisee-owned Domino's Pizza store back in a past life. Both of which were stores where the owners took their responsibilities and obligations very seriously. I believe that this is a store-specific issue and does not represent a brand-wide practice to skimp on health and safety issues in store.

Yet, that said, Domino's Pizza is Domino's Pizza no matter whose name appears in the small print on the shop-front window. So, will this harm the brand name and sales over the long term? Needles to say the store and the franchisee will be listed now on the NSW Government's name and shame file for those that breach the acceptable standards noted under the NSW Food Act.

I will order Domino's again!

Mi Goreng: Is It Safe?

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) are currently doing some independent testing of Mi Goreng (Fried Noodles). After the recall of the IndoMie products in Taiwan last month, it seems that there are some concerns about the use of Methyl P-Hydroxybenzoate (E218) and Benzoic acid as food preservatives. These two chemicals are also used in the manufacture of cosmetics. So, not only will you be full after having a serve of Indomie, there is also a good chance that your stomach lining will look pretty as well.

To be sure, Australia and New Zealand do not allow the use of E218 in any food products for sale in either country. Aside, form Taiwan who yanked the product from shelves, Singapore is also investigating whether the nasty little chemicals are present in the instant noodles inhabiting the shelves of Singaporean grocery stores.

The main sellers of Indomie in Australia are Woolworths, Coles, and IGA. In addition to the big three, independent Asian grocers tend to stock up on instant noodles. Come to think of it, the last place we brought instant noodles of the Indomie kind was from a little Asian grocer in Kingsford, the White Lotus.

Indomie is produced by PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk. Indofood just happens to be the largest noodle producer in the world. So, concerns about one of their staple products must be cause for concern, particularly with respect to the bottom line.

Nevertheless, the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) was quick to come out and state unequivocally that Indomie is safe for consumption and that Indonesians have nothing to worry about.

I used to eat a lot of Indomie when I was resident in Indonesia. Since I have been back in Australia, I have not eaten Indomie often. This has happened for no other reason than a cup-a-soup is easier to prepare.

Now, according to FSANZ, it is unlikely that these chemicals are to be found in concentrations that are harmful. To be honest, if they really believed that, then why do the testing. Simply, there are concerns that these chemicals exist in this product in volumes that are unhealthy.

A bigger question is why E218 is permitted in Indonesia as a food preservative but banned in Australia and New Zealand. Surely, if it is dangerous to Australians and New Zealanders then it must also pose the same sort of health risks to Indonesians, right?

Hmmm, come to think of it, Indomie is on the shopping list for today. Perhaps a little re-evaluation is required before whacking them in the shopping trolley.

Ahhhh...Brocciflower!

Just some miscellaneous stuff that came off the mobile phone.

This is a picture of a brocciflower. Not too hard to work out, is it? A cross between a broccoli and a cauliflower. This specimen was taken at out local Woolworths supermarket a little while ago now.

Bakwan Jagung in The New York Times...

Bakwan Jagung or Corn Fritters are one of my all time favourite Indonesian snacks. They are versatile and can go by themselves as a "between meals snack" or they can form part of a main meal. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see a write up of Indonesian style corn fritters in The New York Times. It was also good to see a recipe attached to the article, and some quotes from an Indonesian Executive Chef, Djoko Supatmono, at the Satay Junction in Manhattan, New York.

I still eat bakwan jagung here in Australia. My wife is an excellent cook, and it helps that bakwan jagung is one of her favourites as well. My preferred accompaniments are sweet soy sauce with chopped chillies as a dipping sauce or sambal mentah (raw sambal - ground up chillies, garlic, pepper), or sambal Bali (I am not a connoisseur on that front, but my mother-in-law had the sambal Bali down pat). We are spoilt for fresh corn in this part of the world, and fresh corn is always the best way to go when making bakwan jagung.

It should not be too long before the Malaysians start trying to claim that they are the inventors of the Bakwan Jagung and that Indonesia stole it from them. Malaysia seems to want to claim all manner of Indonesian things from textiles to music, so food would seemingly not be such a big stretch. If Malaysia does not step forward to make a claim, then Singapore probably will.

A Brief Overview of the New Law on Agricultural Land and Sustainable Crops...

This first appeared on http://en.hukumonline.com. This is a slightly modified version of that article.

The House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat / DPR) has passed the Bill on the Protection of Agricultural Lands for Sustainable Crops. The bill was enacted under the mandate of Law No. 26 of 2007 on Spatial Planning which requires that a law be enacted to protect agricultural lands for sustainable crops. The bill also recognizes the right to agricultural land for sustainable crops is a human right that must be guaranteed. The bill also recognizes that there is a need to ensure the supply of land for sustainable crops as a means of ensuring crop independence.

The premise of the bill is that agricultural land for sustainable crops is an integral part of the lives and prosperity of the nation. The rapid development of Indonesia that encroaches upon land that was previously farmed means that the ability to produce sustainable crops diminishes each time agricultural land is converted into residential or industrial zones. The government has determined that the best way to protect this agricultural land from future residential or industrial development is to designate it as agricultural land and then put in place provisions to protect it.

Therefore, the bill sets out that there are certain parcels of land that are protected for use for sustainable crops. However, the government has also realized that with an ever-expanding population, the mere protection of land for agriculture is not sufficient by itself. As such, the bill also sets out provisions to allow for enhancing the productive capabilities of that land. The bill achieves this by regulating all matters relating to planning, determining, developing, utilizing, managing, controlling, and supervising the lands.

It is worth noting that the provisions that protect agricultural lands designated for sustainable crops from transformation is not absolute. Where there is a public interest need to transform then land, then this may be authorized. The elucidation to Article 44(2) defines what sort of projects would constitute the public interest. Some of these projects include, among others, roads, irrigation channels, airports, train stations and rail networks, and electricity generation sites.

When the government acquires designated agricultural land in the public interest, compensation is to be paid. This compensation can be financial or it may be in the form of a land swap.

There are two types of sanctions set out in the bill: administrative and criminal. The administrative sanctions are standard warning letters and fines, among others. The criminal sanctions provide for terms of imprisonment up to a maximum of 7 years, and criminal fines of up to IDR 7 billion.

All implementing regulations mandated by the provisions in this bill are to be implemented within 24 months of the bill’s enactment.

Another issue that the bill sort of alludes to but does not really address is food sustainability with respect to supply. The idea that protecting agricultural land for sustainable crops is an honorable one. However, a more pressing concern over time is going to be feeding the people. Indonesia is heading towards a scenario where there are going to be more people to feed and an inability to feed them. Simply, there is not enough land to protect as agricultural land without reducing more of Indonesia's natural forests to farm land in order to be food self-sufficient.

Climate change, irrespective of whether it is attributed to human-made global warming or a natural phenomenon, is also going to be a major consideration going forward.

The bill is interesting for what it tries to protect, but really for the bill to have meaning it needs to be part of a much greater regulatory initiative directed to greater and longer-lasting food self-sufficiency.

Will Starts Eating Solids...

Maybe I need to change the name of my blog to "The WAB Files" seeing there seems to be a lot of posts about the comings and goings in Will's life.

Will is now six months old and we have started him on solids, rice cereal to be specific. We were expecting that it might take some time for him to get the hang of swallowing solids. However, no troubles on that front as the little fella got straight into the swing of that.

It is an amazing thing to watch babies grow into children and I am expecting it will be equally amazing watching Will grow through his youth and into adulthood.

Photos from earlier this week.

Last Meals

I am sitting here dining on a bowl of Frosties and skim milk. It would seem the excessive amounts of sugar in the Frosties would nullify any benefits one might derive from consuming skim milk, but that is another post for another day.

For reasons unbeknown to me, this got me thinking about last meals. Simply, if you knew you would be dead at a certain time and you only had the chance for one last meal, and that meal could be anything that your heart desired, then what would it be.

This thinking got me to doing a simple Google search and you can follow these links here, here, and here if you need some inspiration to see what some have eaten for their last meal.

Faecal Ice Cream

The Coogee Bay Hotel is just across the road from where I once managed a Dominos pizza shop. I know the street and the hotel well. However, it seems the hotel is in the shit for well, serving shit. I am not one to mince words so if you are offended by the more plain language term for faecal matter the my apologies to you.

It is not uncommon for people to say their food tastes like shit, but how many of you have ever really been served shit? It turns out that one such family claims they were. The story goes that they were enjoying a Grand Final day out in the now more family friendly Coogee Bay Hotel. It never used to be so family friendly, I guess time changes all things eventually.

Anyways, the family orders a bowl of ice cream and at the bottom of the bowl is what seems to be compacted chocolate. However, this was certain to be like no other chocolate this family had ever eaten.

The chocolate has been tested by the Federal Government's National Measurement Institute confirms that the matter "has an offensive odour and physical properties similar to human excreta ... and to contain fragments of a variety of plant matter typical of excreta".

Interestingly, the Hotel owner Chris Cheung and general manager Tony Williams have offered the family AUD 5000 without admitting liability, which is like saying that it probably is what you said but we will never admit it, the family has rejected the offer as it seems to think it is on a winner. There are claims that hte family is demanding a cool million or so.

The family has now retained the law firm Slater&Gordon which seems to suggest that this might get messier still.

There are pretty stiff penalties for knowingly breaching NSW food laws. These include prosecutions, fines, and jail time for individuals. Now that the allegations have been made and the compacted chocolate tested and found to be consistent with faecal matter, I am not sure that you can sweep this under the carpet so to speak even if the family and the hotel settle out of court.

It seems that the Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald, is looking to get in on the action and has suggested that the family contact the NSW Food Authority so McDonald can start an investigation.

Factoid -- Diets

For me a diet has always been a case of wanting to "die" with "t". Simply, want to kill yourself on a diet then go drink yourself tea until you pull up stumps and go to the big cricketer's heaven in the sky.

However, I found this interesting little factoid, strangely enough printed on the underside of a cap from a bottle of tea -- how bizarre!

The factoid is this, "about half of all Americans are on a diet on any given day". This got me to thinking, and I will explore further to test my theorem, perhaps this is true for all western or westernized cultures. It is probably true that half of the Australian population or the UK population would also be on a diet on any given day.

However, my real thinking was, would this be true in Indonesia. I wonder if anyone has done any studies on this. I am sure there are studies for things like increasing levels of diabetes, obesity, heart conditions, and respiratory illnesses attributable to such things as change in diet and pollution and the like.

Yet, what relevance would figures like this have in Indonesia anyway when so many of the population live on less that USD 2 per day. The statistics would probably reflect the fact that more than half of the Indonesian population is on a restricted food intake on any given day and this absolutely nothing to do with dieting and body image.

So, if you are a dieter then you should be thanking your lucky stars that you have the luxury to choose to restrict your food intake because there are many that do not have that luxury...

Thus endeth the sermon!