Growing demand for patchouli oil is driving the industry in Indonesia, but at what cost?

SIMBORO, Indonesia (AP) — Tucked between the village and the forest, Haruna and his father-in-law worked diligently through the night distilling dried patchouli plants, stoking the boiler with firewood, drops of fragrant patchouli oil trickling into plastic bottles.

A sense of satisfaction washed over them as they watched the container fill with thick, rich brown oil, a sign of high-quality patchouli, the result of their hard work and precision.

Haruna, 42, who like many Indonesians only uses one name, is a patchouli farmer in Simboro, a sub-district of western Sulawesi. He and his father-in-law have been waiting in line for several weeks to finally be able to process their harvest in a modest steam distillation facility an hour’s drive from their farm. Demand for the plant’s oils has skyrocketed in recent years, and so too has the number of farmers in the region who grow and process it. But the trend has an uglier underbelly as Indonesia's vast rainforest is cleared to make way for patchouli farming. That loss of a vital ecosystem also increases the threat of landslides.

With a deep, earthy, musky scent, patchouli oil is derived from the leaves of the Pogostemon cablin plant, a member of the mint family. It's native to Southeast Asia, mostly in Indonesia. The aromatic oil is marketed for its calming effects, helping ease stress and anxiety. It's found in luxury fragrances, cosmetics and other wellness products. Social media trends have driven the most recent surge in interest in patchouli oil.

Patchouli thrives in Indonesia’s tropical climate, which supplies over 80% of the global market. Prices for one kilogram of patchouli oil for farmers can be up to 2.4 million rupiah ($147).

A vast tropical archipelago stretching across the equator, Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest rainforest, with a variety of endangered wildlife and plants, including orangutans, elephants, the endemic bird Maleo, and giant forest flowers.

Patchouli has been a key commodity on Indonesia’s tropical island of Sulawesi since the early 2000s, but in just less than two years, it has become part of daily life in Mamuju City. Dried plants hang from homes' porches, while the bushy perennial herbs with their oval, often hairy, leaves can be easily found at the roadsides.

Deeper into the forest and beyond the villages, new lands are being cleared. Thousands of plastic cups shelter young patchouli seedlings, signaling that in a few months, yet more fields will be covered in the fragrant crop.

Local authorities are encouraging the community to get into the patchouli business to support their income. But West Sulawesi’s Environment and Forestry Agency has warned that the trend threatens the land and the people around it. As the rainforest gets cleared, slopes get less stable, making them more prone to landslides.

Zulkifli Manggazali, head of West Sulawesi’s Environment and Forestry Agency, said that patchouli cannot be planted on slopes with an angle of 45 degrees or more. "Because when patchouli is planted there, there will be erosion, flooding, and landslides,” he explained.

It is not known exactly how much land has been deforested for patchouli planting but as the trend grows, it cuts deeper and deeper into the forest. Patchouli distillation also has the potential to increase deforestation, as firewood is used from the surrounding forests to heat water for the steam distillation process.

In several areas where forests have been cleared to make way for patchouli plantations in the island, landslides have begun to take their toll. This January, a family was killed by a landslide in Mamuju. Their house was in a hilly, vulnerable area.

Local authorities at that time said that patchouli planting was not a main factor in the disaster, but it did play a part because patchouli had been planted nearby.

Hardi, who also uses one name, is a 36-year-old patchouli farmer. He has already harvested patchouli twice, and spends most of his days alongside his 60-year-old mother and brother on their one-hectare plantation. His land has turned into a bustling hub where they dry and cut patchouli before sending it off for distillation.

Before patchouli, Hardi cultivated cloves, but the long harvest period and declining market prices prompted him to make a change. He turned to patchouli, plants that are smaller and more like bushes, and chose to plant it on the steep hillside, an arduous location that demands a strenuous uphill walk of over 30 minutes.

The patchouli brings in enough money for him and his family's needs. But it's unsustainable: patchouli can only grow on the same land twice before farmers need to clear a new patch to farm on. It's another factor leading to deforestation.

Like many farmers, Hardi has no idea exactly where the oil ends up after it leaves his hands. The distillation owner, who buys the oil from him for around 1,400,000 rupiah ($86) per kilogram (two pounds), remains the sole link between his work and exporters, most of whom are based on Indonesia’s main island of Java, before it eventually reaches the global market.

For Manggazali from the environment agency, the cost isn't worth the prices the farmers and the surrounding communities would pay if their patchouli farming leads to landslide. "If a flood comes, everyone around there will be affected,” he said.

To avoid a spiraling trend of increased deforestation for patchouli, Manggazali suggests that the island would benefit from getting into a more sustainable industry.

“If patchouli has been planted, it should be replaced with productive trees, such as durian trees,” he said. “It also has economic value, but for the longer term.”

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A family rides on a motorcycle past a patchouli plantation, top left, and land which has been cleared to make way for a new one in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Patchouli oil is filtered at a refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A worker filters patchouli oil at a refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Smoke billows from a patchouli oil refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A man uses a chainsaw to cut firewood which will be used at a patchouli oil refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A worker puts firewood into a furnace at a patchouli oil refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Farmers slice dried patchouli in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A farmer holds dried patchouli in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A farmer sorts dried patchouli in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A farmer uses a motorcycle to transport a sack of dried patchouli as a newly opened patchouli farm is seen in the background in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A farmer tends to a patchouli plantation in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A farmer stands near sacks of dried patchouli at a refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A farmer holds a jerrycan of patchouli oil at a refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A farmer throws firewood into a furnace at a patchouli refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Workers filter patchouli oil at a refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Workers filter patchouli oil at a refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)