RRI.CO.ID, Palembang - Once cut down for firewood, areca nut trees in Sukakarya Village, Musi Rawas Regency, South Sumatra are now high-value products thanks to the Melati Women Farmers Group (KWT Melati). The group transforms the local commodity into coffee, bandrek (a traditional warm ginger drink), candy, and eco-print dyes, successfully taking their goods to national and international stages.

In this village, located 21 kilometers from the regency capital, areca nut is no longer seen as an undervalued crop. Instead, it has become an economic driver that is helping restore hope among women.

Sukakarya Village faces significant social challenges with 847 of its 1,842 productive-age residents, or 45.89 percent, currently unemployed. More than that, 584 people, or 69 percent of the population, are socially and economically vulnerable women, many of whom have low levels of education, were forced into early marriage, or migrated for work as laborers in order to survive.

These harsh realities moved Suhartini. Determined to step out of her comfort zone and bring real change to her hometown, she found a turning point in 2018 when she joined agriculture and entrepreneurship training in Lahat.

Armed with cultivation knowledge and a strong fighting spirit, Suhartini returned to the village and brought together 15 women to establish the Melati Women Farmers Group (KWT Melati). Their first step began in a small yard, where they cultivated ginger in polybags, a smart solution given Sukakarya’s vulnerability to flooding during the rainy season.

With a pooled capital of IDR 10,000 (USD 0.56) per person and around 3,000 ginger seedlings, they processed the harvest into warm bandrek. However, Suhartini realized that the village was overlooking a far greater potential, which is the areca nut tree.

Previously, residents often cut down areca nut trees or let them go to waste because middlemen paid only around IDR 4,000 (USD 0.22)per kilogram. That figure was far below the global market price of around IDR 19,000 (USD 1.06) per kilogram, leaving the trees to end up as firewood.

The winds of change began blowing strongly in 2021 when PT Pertamina Pendopo Field introduced the Women’s Movement to Preserve Nature Through Areca Nut Conservation (GEMILANG). Through assistance from Pertamina EP (PEP) Pendopo under PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan (PHR) Zone 4, the women of KWT Melati received technical training in agriculture, areca nut processing, and product diversification.

Today, from 15 hectares of land, Suhartini and KWT Melati produce around 900 kilograms of dried areca nuts and 200 to 300 kilograms of young areca nuts each month.

The areca nut is processed into high-value products such as areca nut coffee, areca nut bandrek, and areca nut candy, while the leaves are turned into attractive eco-print dyes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their herbal areca nut and ginger blends sold particularly well across various regions.

The impact has been felt directly in the households of the members. KWT Melati currently earns a net profit of around IDR 8 million (USD 446.65) per month, with a production wage of Rp12,500 (USD 0.70) per kilogram for each participating member.

The group’s cash fund also circulates well through soft loans for personal capital needs, from children’s school fees to family celebrations. What began with just 12 people has now grown into a group of 30 resilient women.

“Women in Sukakarya Village are now seen as capable people, not as recipients of charity. We help the family and village economy through our ability to process areca nut and other herbal plants,” said Suhartini on Wednesday, July 5, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Thanks to this persistence, KWT Melati has evolved into an advanced fostered group, regularly showcasing their products at regional, national, and international exhibitions. Furthermore, Suhartini was recognized by the Environment and Forestry Ministry (KLHK) as one of 20 recipients of the 2024 Local Heroes Inspiration Award.

Although she has already seen the benefits of collective awareness, Suhartini is not satisfied. She continues to share her knowledge with young people and other farmer groups in Musi Rawas so that the spirit of self-reliance can spread more widely.

“I want all women to believe that women are not second-class. We are women, and we can make a positive impact on those around us,” she said firmly.

Meanwhile, Manager of Community Involvement and Development (CID) at PHR, Iwan Ridwan Faizal, said Suhartini’s success story is clear proof that women can become engines of progress when given equal space.

“Through the GEMILANG program at PEP Pendopo Field, the company will remain committed to nurturing these empowerment spaces so that new inspirations can grow in our homeland,” he said.

Driven by the self-reliance of village women, Suhartini and KWT Melati prove that perseverance can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary. Their efforts are laying strong roots of prosperity for the future of Musi Rawas. ***