Jember: Indonesia s'Tobacco Town' Back on the Map

摘要

Situated in East Java province in Indonesia covering an area of 3,293.34 square km is a small town called Jember. For more than 50 years now, Jember has been home to PT Mangli Djaya Raya (MDR), a tobacco manufacturing and exporting company. The company was founded on April 11, 1960 by Budi Laksmono, Indra Santoso, Effendy Santoso and Hasantono Santoso.Within a few years, MDR, which exported Besuki Na-Oogst and Besuki Voor-Oogst, used in the production of cigars and cigarettes, quickly rose to fame. However, after 2001, MDR faced all kinds of financial difficulties. The founders of the company were beginning to lose interest in their business and the supply of money to the company was halted. On July 1, 2007, MDR was sold to Nyoto Permadi, a tobacco businessman. Nyoto had been in the tobacco business since 1977, and he had been involved in exporting tobacco - but always through PT. Persero, a government's company.