South Kalimantan Exports Cassia Alata Leaves to Japan

TheIndonesia.co - Gelinggang leaves or also called ketepeng (Cassia Alata) from South Kalimantan are now increasingly in demand by the Japanese market as evidenced by exports to the Sakura Country. Recently, South Kalimantan exported 12 tons of gelinggang leaves worth Rp880.6 million or US$60,000 belonging to PT Sarikaya Sega Utama to Osaka and Tokyo.

The head of the Banjarmasin Class I Agricultural Quarantine Center Drh Nur Hartanto in Banjarmasin, Tuesday, May 31, 2022, said, "We make sure that the exported leaves are guaranteed health and quality and free from live insects according to the requirements of the destination country."

Hartanto hopes that the export of gelinggang leaves from South Kalimantan can continue to increase in line with the high interest coming from many countries.

Gelinggang can grow anywhere and is often found on the banks of rivers, shrubs to fields. The leaves of the plant are often used as traditional medicine to treat external (skin) diseases such as ringworm, scabies, itching, tinea versicolor, wound medicine, and natural malaria medicine.

Apart from gelinggang leaves, Hartanto said that there are many potentials in the agricultural sector in South Kalimantan for export, including swallow nests, ornamental plants, and porang (Amorphophallus muelleri). Especially for the porang plant, which is a type of tuber rich in benefits for food and industry, is known to be the prima donna for South Kalimantan's exports in recent years.

Hartanto encourages every district and city in South Kalimantan to have a porang processing industry so that it motivates farmers to produce it, and marketing guarantees are needed to provide added value for South Kalimantan.