The Aceh Innovation Patchouli Producer Cooperative (Inovac), in collaboration with PT Nat’ Green, a subsidiary of PT UGreen Aromatics International (UGreen), exported a total of 1.2 tons of raw materials for patchouli and nutmeg perfume production valued at IDR 1 billion to France. Inovac Cooperative, formed by Syiah Kuala University (USK), regularly exports patchouli oil to France every three months through UGreen. However, current production levels from affiliated farmers in Inovac fall short of meeting the entire demand for patchouli oil in France, amounting to 6 tons. The chairman of Inovac Cooperative, Nadia, explained that currently, the capacity of farmers is limited to producing 1 ton of patchouli oil, primarily supplied by farmers in Gayo. Farmers in other regions still fall short, mainly due to inadequate capital for cultivation. The newly formed cooperative in 2019 has hundreds of members, including 500 farmers and distillers under cooperative guidance. Although not all members are currently active, Inovac's products achieve a monthly turnover of up to IDR 200 million from the sales of patchouli oil, nutmeg, essential oils, and derivative products such as perfume, body butter, and body mist.
Inovac, which initiated production in early 2020 and scaled up significantly in 2022, obtained BPOM (Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority) certification in 2021. Director of Atsiri Research Center (ARC) Syaifullah Muhammad highlighted that ARC provided training and guidance to Inovac Cooperative in managing patchouli oil and producing various derivative products. In business collaboration, Inovac Cooperative partnered with the French company Nat’ Green and formed a joint venture or subsidiary of UGreen responsible for export activities to France from 2022. During the export release officiated by Minister Teten, it was revealed that this marked the fifth export to France. The exported patchouli oil and nutmeg are utilized as raw materials for perfume production in France, with a total export value of approximately IDR 1 billion. Syaifullah emphasized that the exported patchouli oil from Aceh has the best quality, making it a preferred choice for the perfume industry in France. Besides being used in perfumes, patchouli oil is also processed into cosmetic and pharmaceutical products due to its anti-aging properties. Minister Teten Masduki expressed his support for the collaboration between universities and businesses in the downstream ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of research collaborations with universities like USK to develop innovative products. Teten stated that collaborative research with universities is crucial, making them experts in the downstream development of patchouli oil, which is a superior natural resource from Aceh.
