Jakarta, Sept 9 (Antara) - Owning about 7 thousand varieties of
medicinal plants, Indonesia has a great potential in tapping overseas
market for its herbal medicines and herbal-based cosmetics products.
Indonesia has at least 3 thousand types of herbal medicines, locally
known as "jamu." Jamu has long been used as a popular alternative
treatment in Indonesia for various health concerns.
Besides being used to produce jamu, Indonesia's medicinal plants are also used to produce herbal-based cosmetics.
About 75 percent of the cosmetics products sold domestically are herbal
based. Herbal medicines and cosmetics are local products that have a
great potential to win global markets. Moreover, in recent years,
Indonesia's cosmetics exports have continued to increase.
Indonesia's cosmetics exports in 2012 had increased to Rp9 trillion,
threefolds of that in the previous year, which stood at Rp3 trillion.
Domestic sales also rose to Rp11.2 trillion in 2013, up from Rp9.7
trillion in 2012.
Pharmaceutical expert Prof. Edi Meiyanto of the Yogyakarta-based Gajah
Mada University stated that all sides, particularly those concerned with
the issuance of regulations, need to support efforts of widening the
market zones of herbal medicines and cosmetics.
He noted that there must be commitment of all parties concerned to
promote herbal products, particularly in the face of competition in the
ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) beginning at the end of 2015.
"To promote herbal products, commitment to production and marketing is
required from several sides, including the government, high learning
institutions, industries, and research institutions," Meiyanto said.
Indonesia has been exporting herbal medicines but still needs to increase exports.
According
to Iswanto, president director of PT Phapros, the aim of Indonesia in
exporting its herbal products is not only to boost domestic industry but
also to introduce its natural potentials, such as traditional medicinal
plants.
He noted that overseas markets had begun to eye Indonesia's herbal
medicines. Thus, Indonesia needs to increase its production at home.
"Herbal products contribute 5 percent to our sales," Iswanto said in
Semarang, Central Java, on Tuesday.
Two trademarks of herbal medicines that contribute 5 percent are
Tensigard and X-gra. The medicinal plants used for producing Tensigard
are "kumis kucing" (a herb with leaves having diuretic property) and
celery, while X-gra is produced with "pasak bumi" (Eurycoma longifolia)
plant as its raw material.
"To increase the volume of sales, we are planning to export these
products. Global markets in turn have shown interest in the products. We
will export the products to Afghanistan and Nigeria in the near
future," Iswanto said.
He stated that Indonesia's herbal medicines had good potential in
overseas markets, while the raw materials are easy to find in Indonesia.
According to Forestry Minister Zulkfli Hasan, Indonesia currently
records some 3 thousand species of medicinal plants growing in its
forests.
Among the most popular are "pasak bumi" (E.
longifolia) of Kalimantan for stamina, "buah merah" (Pandanus conoideus)
of Papua for boosting the body's immunity against various diseases,
"tangkai daun benalu" (Loranthus spp.) for its anticancer properties,
"tangkai daun Brotowali" (Tinospora crispa L.) for its antimalarial
properties, "daun Jambu biji" (Psidium guajava L.) for diarrhea, and
"Sambiloto" (Andrographis paniculata Ness.) for its antibacterial
properties and for treating diabetes.
"Therefore, it is quite reasonable to say that the potential benefits
of medicinal plants in Indonesia will be high if they are properly
developed," the minister stated.
Indonesia also possesses a great deal of indigenous knowledge of
traditional, botanical medicines. This is proven by the fact that the
locals have long been utilizing at least 1 thousand plant species as
sources of medicinal herbs to prevent and cure various diseases and to
maintain health and stamina.
In Central Kalimantan, for example, the Dayak tribe has long since been
using medicinal plants to cure a disease. People can easily find
traditional jamu medicine sold in a number of markets or locations, such
as in the Pasar Besar market in Jalan Achmad Yani and in Pasar Kahayan
in Jalan Tjilik Riwut.
The traditional herbal medicines include "saluang belum," "sarang
semut," "latak manuk," "masisin," "pasak bumi," and "bawang hutan."
These traditional herbs are believed to have healing properties that
could be used to heal diabetes, cancer, tumor, hypertension,
cholesterol, kidney problem, liver ailment, and other diseases.
Therefore, last month, the Ministry of Industry had organized a herbal
cosmetics and jamu exhibition in Jakarta to further popularize and
increase the competitiveness of traditional products.
"The exhibition is intended to promote domestically produced jamu and
cosmetics, which already have standardized quality," Industry Minister
M.S. Hidayat said during the exhibition.
He said his ministry had recorded that Indonesia's cosmetics exports in
2012 had increased to Rp9 trillion from Rp3 trillion in the previous
year. Domestic sales had also increased to Rp11.2 trillion in 2013 from
Rp9.7 trillion in 2012.
"Indonesia's cosmetics industry is showing an upward development trend.
These products can penetrate international markets, such as ASEAN
countries, Japan, East Timor, European Union, the United States, and
Africa," the minister said.
He noted that industries in this sector directly employed 75 thousand
workers and indirectly provided jobs to 600 thousand others.
The minister predicted that the sales of traditional jamu and other
traditional products could reach Rp15 trillion in 2014. The prediction
according to the minister is realistic as production last year had
reached Rp14 trillion.***2***
(T.A014/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 09-09-2014 22:59: |
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