Aceh or Sumatera since thousands of years ago recorded in the path of international trade through the Malacca Strait. Commodities sought by foreign traders in Aceh or Sumatra, among others, camphor, pepper, incense, gold, and spices such as cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Aceh is in the chain of trade and the world recognizes that the world's pepper source is in Aceh. Arun K Dasgupta (1962) says that since the fall of Malacca into the hands of the Portuguese, Muslim traders have glanced at Pasai (located in North Aceh) and Pedir (Aceh Pidie coast) as a place of trade. The port city was transformed into a busy commercial airport in the 16th century. 17th century, emerged the Sultanate of Aceh which experienced a glorious period under the rule of Sultan Iskandar Muda, the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam which unites all kingdoms in Aceh, including Pasai and Pedir. Even the power of this kingdom up to Pahang, Malaysia.
The kingdom that controls the territory of Aceh and the area on the west coast of northern Sumatra is said to be rich because of pepper. At that time, the garden (seuneubok) pepper opened a lot. However, the exact amount of pepper produced does not know the exact number. However, the remains of pepper plantations we still encounter up to now and even still there are relics of pepper glory is still maintained well as a sign that the source of pepper world is in Aceh. View from the record fragments made by the merchant or foreign envoy. Tome Pires (1512-1515), for example, noted that Pidie and Pasai ports alone traded 16,000 pepper or about 2,718 tons per year.
World Pepper Sources exist in Aceh
Van Leur estimates the total amount of pepper produced per year on the west coast of Sumatra is about 2,400,000 lbs or 1,088.62 tons. Added to the pepper controlled by the King of Aceh as much as 408.2 tons, the total pepper production of the Kingdom of Aceh is about 1,524 tons. However, another record was made before 1620 which mentions the volume of pepper controlled by the Kingdom of Aceh only about 1,190 tons (Dasgupta, 1962).
Regardless of the data difference above, the record shows that pepper production at that time far outpaced Aceh's current pepper production. The Aceh Plantation Statistics Book of 2011 noted that Aceh pepper production was 217 tons in 2009, 205 tons in 2010 and 216 tons in 2011. The area of pepper plant also continued to shrink from 1,022 hectares (2009) to 921 hectares (2010) and 896 hectare (2011). From that figure was only 424 hectares of pepper garden that produces. The remaining 332 hectares have not produced and 141 hectares are damaged. Most of the pepper fields are currently left in Aceh Besar and Pidie
