city Pondok Baru in Bener Meriah

Bener Meriah District Profile
District of Bener Meriah is the youngest district in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province, which is an extension district of Central Aceh, based on regulation No. 41 2003 on December 18th 2003 on Bener Meriah District formation in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam District. It is formally legalized by Minitry of Interior on January 17th 2004 as extension area of Central Aceh, and the border area :
- on the north with Bireun District
- on the south with Central Aceh District and South of Aceh district
- on the east side with East Aceh District
- on the west side with Central Aceh District

Based on the Bener Meriah District Government administration consisted of 7 sub-districts , they are Bukit sub-district as the oldest sub-district with Redelong as the capital, which for the time being it is nominated as the capital of Bener Meriah. The wide area is 1.454,09 Km, which is consisted of 7 sub-districts, 225 villages (114 definitive villages, 112 non definitive villages) 10 kemukiman/ larger scope than village with total population :
- Bukit Sub-district, wide area 121.41 Km2 (20.625 people)
- Bandar sub-district, wide area 293,43 Km2 (26.113 people)
- Timang Gajah sub-district, wide area 158,51 Km2 (23.126 people)
- Syiah Utama sub-district, wide area 560,00 Km2 (2.463 people)
- Wih Pesam sub-district, wide area 48.14 Km2 (17,099 people)
- Permata sub-district, wide area 132,59 (12.802 people)
- Pintu Rime Gayo sub-district, wide area 140,01 Km2 (9.355 people)

Bener Meriah district has unordinary potency from human resource and natural resources such as tourism, agriculture, mining, etc, but it become a pity due to the specialty of this district isn’t recognized yet by the community, so it seems that the no channel for investment. Actually if this is managed well, it will increase community income and at the time it will enhance community welfare of this district.

Land User Composition
Wide area of Bener Meriah district reaches 1.454.09 Km2, with land composition as following:
-Rice Field: 21.234.00 Ha
-House yard/building: 3.172,80 Ha
-Garden/planting field: 50.384 Ha
-Preserved Forest: 21.604,78 Ha
-Productive Forest: 36.447.00 Ha

Bener Meriah district is observed from geographical location at position 40.33,50 - 40.54.50 north latitude 960,4075 - 970,1750 east longitude with average height is 1.000 s/d 2.500 m above sea level, average degree is 20 Celsius. Tropical climate with two seasons which is dry season during March until August and Rain season from September until February.
Bener Meriah District nature condition is very fertile with land very potential podjolik to develop agricultural plant. The temperature in this district is divided into two categories which is 200C for Bukit, Permata, Bandar, Timang Gajah sub-district. Whilst for Pintu Rime Gayo and Syiah Utama sub-district, the average temperature is 300C, at two sub-districts is really suitable for hard plant commodity development such as cocoa, palm oil and rubber.

Productive Area in Bener Meriah
Bener Meriah District is observed from zone area and divided into two zones with land fertility spread well almost in every sub-districts. Padzolik is a kind of soil which dominate Bener Meriah area, so it is very suitable with all kind of plant growing whether it is horticultural plant such as carrot, tomato, chili, corn, cabbage, etc, and plant such as coffee, palm oil, rubber, cocoa and tea tree.
The population of Bener Meriah District according to population census in 2005 more or less is 5.000 people. Majority of the population is Gayo ethnic and some other ethnic such as Aceh, Java, Padang, Sunda, etc.
With average height is 1.000 until /d 2.500 m above sea level with land type very suitable to develop coffee plant, this makes the district as the biggest coffee producer in Sumatera even in Indonesia. Other than becoming biggest coffee producer, it also as horticultural commodity producer such as: tomato, chili, carrot, etc, which has its market in the area or regionally.
Gayo Arabica coffee from this district is already well know for long times by coffee actor in regional, national, or even international level. So the importers from internal and overseas periodically often visit to this district. Other than, Robusta also has already quite good name especially in local traders scope. This coffee kind is normally processed becoming tasteful and flavors coffee powder.
In this district there are two overseas coffee enterprises invest their capital, such as Holland Coffee Bv. The coffee company from Holland, PT. Indocafco the coffee company from Swiss, the United Nation and temporarily Aceh Coffee Company from New Zealand is assessing to develop the company in this district.
Other than overseas coffee enterprise, there are also Local Enterprise/Company such as Genap Mufakat. At this time, PD. Geunap Mufakat processes Arabica coffee to become guaranteed quality export commodity which is able to fulfill Europe, The United States and Japan market. (aped file)