INDONESIAN FARMERS UNAWARE OF KHAT BAN by Fardah

     Jakarta, Feb 8, 2013 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian people do not have the habit to chew khat leaves (catha edulis, an active ingredient of cathinone), however, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) recently found around three hectares of khat plantations in Cisarua, West Java.

         Cisarua and other Puncak areas are favorite places for Arab tourists spending holiday in Indonesia. Local khat farmers, who have so far sold khat leaves to Arab tourists, claimed that they are not aware that khat is illegal in Indonesia.

         News stories on khat were hardly seen in Indonesia's media until recently when the anti illicit drugs agency arrested famous Indonesian artist Raffi Ahmad for allegedly consuming methylene, a narcotic drug derived from cathinone.

         After witnessing the destruction of khat plants found in local farmers' crops in Cisarua, West Java, on February 7, 2013, Inspector General Benny Mamoto of BNN said that khat plants contain cathinone which is classified as category I narcotics under Indonesia's Law No.35/2009.  
   He said there are two kinds of khat namely the red one and the green one. The plant's leaf could be consumed directly by chewing it like betel leaf.

        Khat planting, cultivating and trading are prohibited in this country and those found to be planting khat, may face four to five years imprisonment, Mamoto stated.

         The anti-illicit drugs agency is making an investigation to find the suppliers of khat into Indonesia.

         "We will make coordination with the local administrations and police to supervise the khat ban," he said.

         The agency has also launched a public campaign on khat. He said that he understood many of the locals did not know about the effects of khat, which is new for most of the Indonesians.

         "We have educated the local officials and people about khat, because the plants were brought from overseas," Benny Mamoto, BNN deputy for narcotics operations, stated.

        The agency's officers destroyed the khat plants in Cisarua and erected banners  informing the public of the dangers of the khat plants and their prohibition in Indonesia.

          Saiful, 50, a Khat farmer in Cisarua, said he supported the banning of khat in Indonesia as it could affect one's health.

          He planted khat plants for the last two years and had harvested twice since.

          "I earned around Rp3 million per month from my khat plantation measuring 300 m2," he said.

          Nanang, another local farmer said, he had planted khat plants since 2005 in his farm. Once harvested, he would then sell the khat leaves to Arab tourists who holiday in the Puncak area in West Java.

         "We bought the seeds of Khat  and planted them, not aware that the plant was narcotic," Nanang said, adding many local farmers have made a living from growing  and selling khat. 
   The plant has been growing in demand especially from Middle east tourists who consumed the plant as a dish of raw vegetable, tea and as a spicy sauce against cholesterol, diabetes and diarrhea. It is also known to strengthen men sexually, he added.

         The local authorities discovered a total of around three hectares of khat plantations in 55 separate locations in Cisarua.  Besides in Cisarua, khat plantations were also found in Banyumas, Central Java.  
    According to Mamoto, khat leaves are sold between Rp200,000 and Rp300,000 per bag while khat saplings are sold up to Rp500,000 each.

          Khat plant was first introduced in the area by a tourist from Yemen in 2005  and the local farmer began to grow it when many tourists from Middle East came to Puncak and they looked for khat leaves.

         Local farmers, who mostly claimed that they did not know that khat is prohibited in Indonesia, have asked for financial compensation for their plantations which were destroyed.

         The West Java administration's officials said they are still considering about the compensation for khat farmers, who promised that they would never plant khat again.     
    "Compensation is being considered. One thing is certain that the compensation will be in the form of seeds of food crop that the farmers could continue to live from their farms," BNN spokesman Sr. Comr  Sumirat Dwiyanto said recently.

         Accoding to Wikipedia, khat, gat or Arabian tea (Catha edulis) is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Among communities from these areas, khat chewing has a long history as a social custom dating back thousands of years.

        The khat plant is known by a variety of names, such as qat and gat in Yemen, qaat and jaad in Somalia, and chat in Ethiopia.

        It contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria.

        Particularly popular among some in the Somali, Ethiopian and Yemeni communities, khat has already been outlawed in 16 European Union countries alongside Norway in the Nordics as well as in the US and Canada.

         On January 5, 2013,  the Netherlands became the latest country to outlaw the plant which acts as a stimulant when chewed, BBC reported last month.

        The call to ban khat has also been voiced in Britain, with campaigners said it causes medical problems and family breakdowns.

        Users of khat say it makes them more talkative and relaxed but potential side effects are thought to include insomnia, depression and mouth cancer.

         In some parts of Yemen, khat use is widespread even among children. The prevalence has been estimated at 80% for males and 50% for females in the capital Sana'a at age fifteen and above.

        According to Jamal Al-Shammi, the head of a Yemeni nongovernmental organization known as the Democratic School, the deleterious effects of khat are not limited to the consumer's body.

         "Khat chewing has its negative effect on the family too," he said. "It breaks down immediate family ties. Men chew alone, women chew alone and children are eventually left alone to do as they please with no adult supervision," he explained.

         Khat also distorts an already fragile economy with farmers ripping out fruit trees and coffee plants to replace them with the more lucrative crop.

         In North Yemen, many khat addicts spend much of the day buying and chewing khat, severely affecting working hours and thus family income . ***4***
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