“Pahit”nya garam: sebuah studi dramaturgi

Abstrak Artikel ini menelaah tentang ketertindasan petani garam di Pamekasan Madura. Melalui pendekatan dramaturgi, terungkap kuasa tengkulak dan perusahaan di balik tengkulak mulai dari sebelum proses produksi hingga penjualan garam rakyat. Petani garam tidak mempunyai wewenang untuk menentukan harga jual garam. Tengkulak garam mempunyai otoritas untuk memasok garam ke perusahaan garam dan menekan harga dari petani atas dasar interaksi sosio-budaya. “Pahit”nya garam bagi petani turut dipicu oleh kebijakan pemerintah yang tidak pro petani garam, termasuk kebijakan garam impor yang semakin menekan harga garam rakyat.   Abstract This article examines the oppression of salt farmers in Pamekasan Madura. Through discussing dramaturgy, it was revealed the power of middlemen and companies behind middlemen starting from the production process to selling salt of the people. Salt farmers do not have the authority to determine the selling price of salt. Salt middlemen have the authority to supply salt to salt companies and transfer prices from farmers on the basis of socio-cultural relations. The "bitter" salt for farmers is also triggered by government policies that are not pro salt farmers, including important salt policies that increasingly increase people's salt prices.