The export value of Indonesian medicinal or biopharmaceutical products in the January-September 2020 period increased by 14.08 percent compared to the same period last year. This achievement is quite encouraging, especially amidst the global economic slowdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conveyed by the Minister of Trade (Mendag) Agus Suparmanto when giving a speech at a web seminar entitled "Industrial Investment and the Revival of Indonesian Tourism and Exports with the Support of Herbs, Health Supplements, Spices, Cosmetics, Spas, and Indonesian Aromatherapy" , Thursday (10/12/2020). The webinar was held by the Indonesian Traditional Medicine and Herbal Medicine Entrepreneurs Association (GP Jamu). Agus said, after declining over the last five years (2015-2019) except in 2017, Indonesia's exports of herbal medicine or biopharmaca managed to record a value of 9.64 million US dollars (US) in January-September 2020. "This value increased by 14.08. percent compared to the same period (January-September 2019) worth US $ 8.45 million, ”explained the Trade Minister in a written release received by Kompas.com, Sunday (13/12/2020).
For information, Indonesia ranks 19th in the world exporting jamu or biopharmaca with a market share of 0.61 percent in 2019. In the January-September 2020 period, the export destination country for Indonesian biopharmaceutical products was still dominated by India (62.30 percent). Singapore (6.15 percent), Japan (5.08 percent), Malaysia (3.75 percent), and Vietnam (3.17 percent). Meanwhile, the world's herbal or biopharmaceutical suppliers are still controlled by India (33.46 percent), China (27.54 percent), and the Netherlands (6.05 percent). Agus added, to increase exports, the Ministry of Trade has developed a strategy to increase the short and medium term, one of which is through a product approach. Products that are used as the focus include processed food and beverage products, medical devices, agricultural products, fishery products, and agro-industrial products. "Herbal products, health supplements, spices, cosmetics, spas, and aromatherapy are also included in the category of products that are the focus of the export improvement strategy," said the Trade Minister.
Apart from opportunities, biopharmaceutical products also face several challenges, including market access, continuity and accuracy of delivery, environmental issues, competitiveness, organic certification, and sustainability. Then, traceability, transparency, downstreaming, securing non-tariff barriers to trade, high logistics costs, good agricultural practices (GAP), and good manufacture practices (GMP). Pandemic conditions also had an impact on Indonesian trade, including spice products, such as an increase in logistics costs, changes in global trade patterns, ineffective trade cooperation during the pandemic, and the threat of a global economic recession. To overcome this, the Trade Minister continued, various efforts have been made by the central government, local governments, associations, business actors and other private parties to maintain and increase Indonesian exports. "One of the efforts to penetrate the market is through the settlement of various trade agreement negotiations and market development through promotional activities," said the Trade Minister.
At the webinar, Minister of Health (Menkes) Terawan Agus Putranto also attended and gave a speech. He said that currently there are 11 thousand herbal products, 72 standardized herbal medicines, and 24 phytopharmaca products. "Herbal medicine has been proven from generation to generation to maintain the health of the Indonesian people. Standardized herbal medicines and phyto-pharmacy products have been proven by preclinical and / or clinical trials. The three of them are traditional Indonesian products that must be supported in order to become hosts in their own country and special guests in the global market, "he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Shinta Kamdani invites business actors to invest in the development of the herbal and biopharmaceutical product industry. "It is hoped that the Indonesian herbal product industry will be more advanced and grow. Market opportunities exist not only in China, Japan and Korea, but also the US, Canada, and countries in Europe, especially Germany, ”explained Shinta. At the end of his remarks, the Minister of Trade hoped that the webinar could provide new insight to develop promotion of Indonesian herbal medicine, health supplements, spices, cosmetics, spas and aromatherapy products. "Hopefully it can increase exports and provide benefits to the Indonesian economy," said the Trade Minister closing his remarks.
