"I guarantee with these tools they can produce one ton of crude and one quintal of ginger powder, ginger, turmeric per day and the other materials."
Karanganyar, Central Java (ANTARA News) - The research and technology ministry is sponsoring the formation of a bio-pharmaceutical center in Karanganyar district, Central Java, to improve the cultivation and post-harvest products of local farmers.

"We encourage efforts to set up a center of innovation in the region as a manifestation of the Regional Innovation System (Sida)," Research and Technology Minister Suharna Surapranata said here Monday.

The creation of such a center in Karanganyar was in accordance with the local potentials which indeed had long been known to produce traditional herbal raw materials like ginger, turmeric, black wild ginger, kencur (Kaempferia galanga) and others, the minister said.

The ministry of research and technology was making various prototypes of equipment according to the needs of the local people, such as a chopper and battering dryers (a powder) which is then expected to be developed by the local community.

Meanwhile, the vice chairman of Karanganyar Cluster Medicinal, Budi Suyatno said he was confident with a variety of equipments brought by ministry of research and technology to Karanganyar that would improve the quality and the quantity of the production of the local farmers.

"If the first, the farmer group of Karanganyar produced about ten tonnes of ginger per month, two tons of crude drug and 1 quintal ginger powder per month. I guarantee with these tools they can produce one ton of crude and one quintal of ginger powder, ginger, turmeric per day and the other materials," he noted.

Budi hoped, through the regional innovation system (Sida), six of the 17 districts in Karanganyar district as the the medicinal producer could have a better bargaining position in selling products to the factory.

The other clusters in Central Java province, which are also developed by the ministry includes knalpot-sapu glagah cluster in Purbalingga district, potato cluster in Banjarnegara district, in Wonogiri district.

In addition, there are also Jepara peanut cluster, Salatiga cluster processed food, Klaten metal clusters and Surakarta city cluster development of science and technology park and Banyumas district waste-water treatment cluster.
(Uu.KR-AES/HAJM/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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