Sent to Papua, Useful for Medicine AS areca nut halved. Of course we often hear this saying. Areca palm trees grow a lot in Banyuwangi, especially in mountainous and plantation areas, apparently has very high selling power. For some ancient Javanese people, often use areca nut seeds for nginang.
Young betel nuts or Banyuwangi people usually call them jambe, Now it has started to be developed into processed areca nuts which are much more expensive. The way to process it is also not too difficult and is considered very easy. Collectors of processed areca nuts can now be found in Gontoran Hamlet, Rejosari village, Glagah District. At that place, Areca nuts are stored in Busono's warehouse. Old man 58 That year, the betel nut seeds had already developed for a long time.
The seeds of young betel nuts that have just been picked from the tree are peeled first, separated from the skin. Once clean, The young areca nut is then chopped by slicing one and a half centimeters thick. Finished chopping, The betel nuts that have been sliced are then sorted to separate the young seeds from the old ones. Finished sorting, The areca seeds are dried on bamboo boards to dry under the hot sun. The drying time is approximately three to four days.
“When it dries it will shrink and become smaller, because the water content has decreased," said Busono. He obtained a lot of young areca nuts from farmers who voluntarily sold them to him. One kilogram of peeled young areca nuts is priced at IDR. 5.000. Only, These betel nut seeds are not available every day and can be obtained easily. Because, The betel nuts bear seasonal fruit. The harvest season is usually in May, and June.
The dried areca nut seeds are sold to big bosses from Mlandingan District, Situbondo. The boss took it directly from his house for Rp. 27 thousand. This price is quite expensive. Previously the price of sun-dried young areca nut was only around Rp. 25 thousand. “My prediction is that the price could still rise again, because areca seeds are currently very difficult to get," explained Busono. Dried areca nut seeds are believed to have medicinal properties.
One of them is for worm medicine, stop the bleeding, and strengthen teeth and gums. These betel nut seeds are usually sent to the Papua region. From Papua, Dried betel nuts are used as a snack. “Papuans say areca nuts from Java are more savory and delicious,"he said. One delivery during the dry season like now can be eight quintals. If the harvest conditions are large, can send more than that. “In August, Areca palm trees are usually reduced because they are cut down for areca palm climbing activities," he complained. (radar)
