- December 30, 2021
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Kratom cultivation
Approximately 95% of kratom sold worldwide is produced in Indonesia, the majority of which comes from the West Kalimantan/Kapuas Hulu regions in the west of the country, which offer particularly favorable conditions for the tree to develop and grow.
Cultivation is mostly carried out by small family-run plantations with low production volumes, since it is precisely for these that the cultivation of kratom is significantly more profitable than the usual alternatives in the region, such as the cultivation of the rubber tree.
The harvest
Unlike a deciduous tree, which sheds its leaves in winter, a kratom tree is evergreen. However, each leaf goes through a life cycle and falls off after maturity. This gradual process overlaps with the growth of the new leaves. The leaves of the red sentol tree (Mitragyna speciosa), from which most kratom products are made, can be harvested every 4 weeks during the fall harvest season.
To do this, the leaves are carefully picked by hand, after which the large stalks are separated and sorted out.
Due to the high effort involved in harvesting and separating/sorting out the stalks, the whole family usually works together with the help of neighbors and friends in this process.
processing
After the harvest, the precious leaves are dried. In the past, they were laid out in the sun for 2 days and then brought to the farmers' huts at night to prevent them from drying more poorly and being damaged by the nightly humidity.
Nowadays, to avoid exposing the leaves to direct sunlight, which would negatively affect their desired properties, they are instead laid out in light-protected, well-ventilated storage rooms on specially designed wooden shelves.
after the kratom leaves Once dried, they are freed from the smaller stems and leaf veins and ground into a fine powder (crushed leaf). This powder is then sold to wholesalers who further process it and turn it into various end products such as kratom powder or capsules, which are then sold around the world.
