Jambi – Areca nut from Jambi as much as 320,260 tons with a value of Rp. 9.1 billion from Jambi were certified by the Ministry of Agriculture through the Agricultural Quarantine Agency (Barantan) before being flown to Thailand and India. Inspection in the form of quarantine measures carried out on this commodity so that it can meet the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements or quarantine health requirements from trading partner countries, namely free of target pests and diseases. Areca nut is usually used as a raw material for cooking, cosmetics, candy, and medicine. “The Ministry of Agriculture is committed to increasing exports of various agricultural commodities, the aim is that farmers and business actors can get proportional added value, in addition to being an input for foreign exchange for the country,” said Ali Jamil, Kabarantan when releasing agricultural commodity exports at Talang Duku Port, Jambi, Saturday. (11/5).
Quarantine officers carry out a document and physical checks, ensuring that the agricultural commodities are free of pests and diseases. If pest investment is found, quarantine measures such as fumigation or other quarantine measures are taken to eliminate the pest. This is to avoid rejection when arriving at the destination country.
Based on records, areca nuts accounted for 16.7% of the total exports of agricultural commodities from Jambi in 2018, being in the second largest position under rubber commodities which contributed 60%. In addition to betel nuts, at the event, 3,700 tons of palm shells were also exported, valued at Rp. 5.6 billion with the aim of Thailand and round coconut as much as 27 tons worth Rp. 378 million to Pakistan. This was conveyed by the Acting Head of Jambi Agricultural Quarantine, Bambang Hesti.
Jambi Province itself has great potential in agriculture. From the quarantine automation system, IQFAST at Jambi Agricultural Quarantine recorded that the export traffic of agricultural commodities from Jambi in 2018 reached a total value of Rp. 3.95 trillion. With superior commodities including palm shells, areca nut, rubber slabs, crude coconut oil (CCO) or coconut oil, and processed wood. And the 5 biggest export destinations are Japan, Thailand, South Korea, India, and Malaysia, Bambang added.
