Title: Sweetening History: Exploring the Economic Evolution of Javanese Sugar Industries in the Dutch East Indies
Author: Nawfal Aulia Luthfurrahman
Indonesian cuisine has colorful flavors as a symbol of national wealth and is marked by sugar as a symbol of life. The philosophy of this cuisine comes from the rich spices produced by Indonesia in various regions supported by its culture of taste seekers. However, one prominent identity of Indonesian cuisine, especially Javanese cuisine, is its sweetness and the use of sugar cane as the main ingredient.Â
The importance of sugar to the Javanese people can be traced to their culture, where sugar makes its mark in the form of a song called "dhandhanggula," a symbol of morality and spirituality. In more practical proof, Javanese cuisine such as apem, cucur, jadah, jenang, and more consist of sugar as one main ingredient of the product. This evidence shows that sugar is a crucial part of Javanese people's daily consumption by culture and a social approach.
Eventually, the sugar consumption tradition led to several implications for the Indonesian economy and foreign exchange. Indonesia was obliged to import 3.36 million tons of sugar, the biggest in the world, and cost national foreign exchange worth $2.4 billion in 2023. However, the question arises as Indonesia's agricultural power in its plantation and weather conditions are well suited for sugar cane industries, so how did Indonesia's sugar industry flop and not achieve its highest stakes? Once Indonesia's sugar industry was dominant, we will discuss the process and history behind that. Â Â
The Chronological History of the Dutch Indies' Sugar IndustryÂ
The development of the modern sugar industry in the Dutch East Indies began when the Netherlands returned to power after experiencing various prolonged wars. The Netherlands at that time was in the process of reconstruction after experiencing the Napoleonic War and the war against Belgium. The Dutch government was also still in debt to VOC shareholders after its collapse due to massive corruption. In such a distressed state, the Dutch government was forced to implement a policy of mercantilism to restore its economy.
The mercantilist system implemented by the Dutch government focused on protecting national needs independently, as well as maximizing their resources for the national interest. The Netherlands tried to reduce the amount of imports by exploiting its colonies from the early to mid-19th century. The Netherlands also forced its colonies to produce valuable export commodities according to the needs of its homeland without considering the welfare of its colonies. The Dutch East Indies became the actor most affected by Dutch economic policy, especially after the appointment of Van Den Bosch as Governor-General.
Dutch influence at the time strengthened after the appointment of Van Den Bosch as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1830-34). Van Den Bosch introduced a cultivation system that required the communities and villages of Java's North Coast to set aside land to farm export commodities, especially coffee, indigo, and sugar cane. The Dutch also implemented a burdensome land tax system on Javanese landowners to ensure the cultivation system worked (Ricklefs, 2008).
Throughout the implementation of the cultivation system policy, Javanese people were forced to deposit the harvest of their export commodities in exchange for a fixed rate determined by the Dutch government. Farmers were also forced to achieve specific harvest targets, or they would be charged land taxes that had to be paid by the Dutch government. Meanwhile, the compensation provided by the Dutch government, Cultuurrpoceten, needed to be fairer because it used a fixed rate rather than following the high world market prices at that time.
