The tongues and stomachs of children on small Indonesian islands have been colonized by rice and wheat that their land cannot produce.
Please note that this article was automatically translated using Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. We cannot ensure that the entire content is translated accurately. If you spot any errors or inconsistencies, contact us atAHMAD ARIF, FRANS PATI HERIN, YOLA SASTRA, SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUSThe following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI.
The original article can be found inA total of 38 young people participated in an entrepreneurship training on the development of local food at the Agro Sorgum School in Pajinian Village, West Adonara District, East Flores Regency, NTT on Tuesday . They processed local food ingredients from their respective villages and presented up to 24 types of dishes which were served and enjoyed together. The activity was held by the Good Food Coalition, consisting of the Kehati Foundation, the People's Coalition for Food Sovereignty, the Larantuka Diocese Social Economic Development Foundation, and the Ayu Tani Foundation. Mario Alvares sulks, asking for rice and noodles for breakfast. Offered boiled bananas and tea, he refuses with tears. His mother, Natalia Bage , hurriedly cooks rice and goes to the kiosk to buy a pack of instant noodles. Mario's tears then subside. "Mario wants to eat rice and noodles. This has become a habit," said Natalia in her village of Klukengnuking, Ulamado Wotan Subdistrict, Adonara Island, East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday ." According to Natalia, Mario, and many children in the village, they start consuming noodles at the age of two. Furthermore, many mothers in the village also mix porridge with noodle broth for their children who are not yet one year old. Their reason is to make the porridge taste better. The habit of improper feeding continues to grow with them.Two of Mario's older siblings who are still children are also addicted to instant noodles. In fact, they more often consume the noodles without boiling them first. The noodle seasoning is mixed, crushed with the noodles in the packaging, and eaten raw. So addicted to the noodle seasoning, these children also add it when eating fruit salad."The fault lies with us, the parents," Natalia admitted.The top 20 countries for consuming instant noodles in the world were released by the World Instant Noodles Association on May 11, 2021. Children addicted to instant noodles, like Natalia's family on Adonara Island, are also found on other small islands. Our survey from August to October 2023 in 14 villages in three island regions, namely East Nusa Tenggara , Southeast Sulawesi , and West Sumatra , showed a decreasing trend in the diversity of food sources, both carbohydrates and proteins, in the last 30 years. Rice has dominated and displaced various local carbohydrates, such as sago, corn, and tubers. For the past 10 years, residents of these islands have increasingly been consuming instant food in place of fresh foods. In addition to instant noodles becoming a staple food, biscuits and wheat bread have displaced various local snacks. Additionally, canned fish and sweetened drinks in packaging have also infiltrated deep into the countryside.Data analyzed by the National Food Agency shows that in 2022, rice and wheat consumption in these three island regions has displaced various local foods. Specifically in Mentawai, the consumption of sago is still higher than wheat although it is higher than rice. However, children nowadays are starting to avoid consuming sago, leading wheat to soon surpass sago consumption in Mentawai.Residents display sago mushroom obtained from their own sago plantation in the hinterland of Siberut Island in Salappa Hamlet, Muntei Village, South Siberut District, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, on Monday evening. Sago mushroom is one of the sources of protein for the Mentawai tribe community in Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands.Instant noodles are not only positioned as a source of carbohydrates, but are often used as a side dish to accompany rice consumption. Rice with instant noodles or sago with noodles have become popular dishes among island residents. "We rarely eat sago anymore. My husband and children no longer want to eat sago, only I can still eat sago to save the rice we are currently consuming. When there is money, they eat noodles every day. Noodles with rice," said Yusnimar Sadodolu, a housewife from Dusun Pariok, Desa Muntei, South Siberut, whom we met on Wednesday . Muntei is located near the South Siberut District capital." Merina Sagari , the wife of the Head of Muntei Village, stated that her four sons refuse to eat local food as a source of carbohydrates, such as sago and taro."Their only choice is rice, rice, and rice. Otherwise, they will refuse to eat. Everyone eats rice," she said.In a week, the Merina family uses a sack containing 10 kg of rice for their four children. To save on rice expenses, Merina recently tried eating sago again."We gave up eating sago. Children still eat rice, we eat sago."When children are served sago, they whisper, 'You won't be full, Mom, if we eat sago'," said Merina. The shift in consumption patterns from sago to rice is not only happening around the district center, but also in the hinterland. Only parents still dominate the consumption of sago, while children are accustomed to eating rice and leaving sago behind. Mateus Saleleubaja , a resident of Rogdok Hamlet, Madobag Village, South Siberut District, said that his family also relied on rice that had to be purchased, despite the fact that there are still many sago trees around his village. Saleleubaja, who lives with his wife and four children, also inherited a sago garden.Residents harvest sago caterpillars or"tamra"/"batra" that are cultivated in their family sago plantations in the interior of Siberut Island in Salappa Hamlet, Muntei Village, South Siberut District, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, on Monday evening . Sago caterpillars are one of the protein sources for the Mentawai tribe community on Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands. The Rogdok hamlet is located around the flow of the Rereiket River, which has recently been connected to the Trans-Mentawai road access that leads to Muara Siberut, the center of the district, for the past five years. Previously, if using a boat to travel along the river, it would take two hours or more to reach Rogdok, but now the distance to the center of the district is around 15 km or 30 minutes by motorcycle. The ease of transportation access accelerates the shift in consumption patterns. According to Saleleubaja, his family needs to buy three sacks of rice, each weighing 10 kg, per month, while the maximum consumption of sago is around 20 kg."During these expensive rice prices, we really have to save . What else can we do, the children can no longer be satisfied with sago," he said.According to Mateus Sakulok , a resident of Rogdok Hamlet, even his youngest child refuses to eat sago."Disgusted," said Sakulok, mimicking his child's reason for not wanting to eat sago."Even though rice is expensive, we still have to buy it. If it was just me eating, maybe I could just eat sago. But for these children, expensive or not, we have to buy it," he continued. Compared to the ancestral food of sagu, many children in Siberut Island can only feel full with rice. In fact, they now choose instant noodles over sagu. Workers are packing bunches of sago palm before sending them to a sago processing factory in Muntei Village, South Siberut Sub-District, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra on Tuesday . Business owners in Muntei Village process sago plants at the factory into sago starch for sale to sago flour factories or to residents for roasted sago as a staple food. Sago, taro, and banana are staple foods of the Mentawai tribe on Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands. Our previous report on gastrocolonialism in Merauke also showed a similar phenomenon. Instant noodles have become the second staple food after rice in Zanegi Village and Baad Village, in the hinterland of South Papua. Sago, which is abundant in these two villages and has been the main food for generations, has been marginalized and is now only consumed during traditional events by the elderly. Apart from the health risks, addiction to instant noodles clearly endangers the food independence of island residents, and even nationally. The main raw material for instant noodles is wheat, which is 100% imported.The current high price of rice has hit the economy of islanders hard. They have to pay a higher price for rice compared to the national average. Some are trying to save on rice consumption by returning to local cuisine, but this is not an easy task. Nurbay Satoinong , a resident of Puro 2 Hamlet, Muntei Village, South Siberut District, admits that he has to save rice and resort to consuming sago."I'm trying to eat sago again out of necessity because rice is expensive," he said. Amidst the rising cost of rice, the main agricultural commodities of the community are inadequate. For instance, the price of betel nuts has fallen drastically and bananas are difficult to sell due to infrequent ship arrivals. The price of betel nuts, which was still above IDR 10,000 per kg the previous year, has dropped to IDR 1,000-2,000 per kg in recent months. Meanwhile, the cocoa commodity has been destroyed due to fungal attacks.Residents are mashing sago starch to make baked sago in bamboo or"sagu kaobuk" in the interior of Siberut Island in Bekkeiluk Hamlet, Muntei Village, South Siberut District, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, on Sunday . Sago, taro, and bananas are the staple foods of the Mentawai tribe in Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands. Nurbay currently lives at home with her son and daughter-in-law. Her husband has passed away, while her four other children live with their respective families. Before trying to save rice, Nurbay and her son and daughter-in-law consume about two bags of rice each month, costing Rp 135,000 per bag. To cover the shortage, she buys one bag of 25 kg of sago from her neighbor for Rp 50,000. Instant noodles are not only positioned as a source of carbohydrates, but are often used as a side dish to accompany the consumption of rice. According to Nurbay, returning to eating sago is not an easy task anymore. Since he was young, while still living in the upper reaches of the river in Dusun Salappa, he was taught to eat rice. Health officials often convey that rice is more nutritious than sago. Aside from being invited to eat rice, in the 1980s, Nurbay's parents were also encouraged by the government to cultivate paddy fields. However, the fields did not last long due to crop failures."Now we are used to eating rice. It's difficult to go back to eating sago. Not eating rice for just a week can make us weak. The children also refuse to eat sago anymore," she said. The Nurbay family can no longer process sagu trees into sagu starch. However, they still have a sagu plantation."The children are not skilled in saguing, and my husband has passed away. So now we buy sagu," she said.The processed sago flour made by residents in Salappa Hamlet, Muntei Village, South Siberut District, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, was displayed on Monday . Sago, taro, and banana are staple foods for the Mentawai tribe communities on Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands. Just like in Mentawai, the increase in rice prices is also choking the economy of Adonara residents. However, returning to local food is not easy. According to Natalia, they cannot feel full without eating rice. Currently, Natalia's family consumes an average of two kilograms of rice per day. In early August 2023, the price of rice per kilogram in their village was Rp 14,000. This means that they spend at least Rp 28,000 per day to buy rice, or at least Rp 840,000 per month. This amount is more than half of Natalia's salary as a teacher. Aside from rice, there are still many other needs to be met."The biggest expense every month is for buying rice," she said.However, the current price of rice continues to steadily climb. Most recently, the price of rice in the inland area of Adonara has reached Rp 16,000 to Rp 17,000 per kg. According to Natalia, nowadays many village people are forced to borrow from stores to buy rice. They will repay the loan after receiving wages from odd jobs or by selling commodities such as candlenuts and betel nuts, the prices of which are also uncertain.
Indonesia Berita Terbaru, Indonesia Berita utama
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