The first impression of Indonesia is the pervasive smell of cloves. The country's smokers consume the local variety known as keretek, clove-flavoured cigarettes which became popular when the Dutch tried to establish a global monopoly in the spice and brought it to their Far Eastern possessions.

Until recently however the cloves were imported from Zanzibar because of their superior quality. But local production has increased and today 80,000 tons a year are grown at home.

All of this has had to be sold to the Clove Suport and Trading Board under the control of the president's son, Tommy.

This monopoly was, said its members, designed to increase the welfare of the farmers.

The farmers did in fact receive more than the world price but the main result was a doubling of the price paid by cigarette manufacturers thereby increasing the welfare of the Suharto family.