JAKARTA: Authorities in Riau have converted 22.2 million illicit cigarettes, confiscated in smuggling attempts from Malaysia, into compost fertilizer for farmers, the first initiative of its kind in the province.
Riau Prosecutor’s Office chief Sutikno said the initiative emerged from efforts to find a productive method of disposing of the large volume of seized cigarettes.
“At first, I was thinking about how to destroy such a large quantity of cigarettes in a way that could still create economic value,” he said. He said he later learned that Pekanbaru city authorities had been operating a waste composting programme aimed at supporting local farmers.
“We decided to process the seized illegal cigarettes into compost. Cigarette waste that previously had no value can now be turned into fertiliser and a useful product. What was originally waste has now been given economic value,” he said.
Pekanbaru Mayor Agung Nugroho praised the initiative and expressed hope that cooperation between the Pekanbaru administration and the Riau Prosecutor’s Office in waste management efforts would continue.
“If previously confiscated goods were torched or flattened, today they can be repurposed into compost,” he said. He added that the city’s Environment Agency has established a composting facility aimed at reducing waste volumes while converting waste into products with economic value.
He said compost made from tobacco-based waste is of good quality and beneficial for agriculture. The processing takes up to one month before it is ready for use.
“There are several stages in the process. First, we separate nonorganic materials, then the waste is chopped, treated with molasses, dried, and sieved until it becomes compost,” he said.
He added that the finished compost will be distributed free of charge to farmers and the public to support the agricultural sector.
He said the illicit cigarettes were carried by two men, Sufriono and Zaini, near the Outer Port Limit close to Malaysia. The pair used two high-speed craft to transfer the cigarettes from a tanker vessel originating from Malaysia.
The shipment was later intercepted by Riau Customs authorities on July 4. Sufriono and Zaini were subsequently tried and each sentenced to three years and six months in prison, along with a Rp 100 million (US$5,808) fine, with an additional 60 days imprisonment in lieu of payment.
“Riau Province is a strategic area that is vulnerable to smuggling routes. For that reason, heightened vigilance and coordination down to the local level are needed to curb the circulation of illicit cigarettes,” Wuriadi said.
He added that the destruction of the confiscated illicit cigarettes was aimed at safeguarding state revenue.
“The destruction of the seized cigarettes is the implementation of a court ruling as well as a strategic step to prevent state losses. With the evidence destroyed, the potential state loss prevented is estimated at around Rp 30 billion,” he said.
He said the measure also aims to ensure fair business competition. Illicit cigarette distribution, he noted, harms legitimate businesses as the products are sold without excise stamps and therefore at lower prices. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
