Jusuf Kalla Family-Owned Foundation Collaborates With Aceh ARC To Train MSMEs And Patchouli Farmers

Photo: Doc. Between

JAKARTA - Hadji Kalla Foundation (YHK) in collaboration with Atsiri Research Center (ARC) Banda Aceh held a training for MSME groups and patchouli farmers in Makassar, July 25-27 2022.

Head of Atsiri Research Center at Syiah Kuala University, Dr. Syaifullah Muhammad, ST, M.Eng, said that ARC has been researching and developing patchouli for the past seven years.

Patchouli is one of Indonesia's leading export commodities to many countries, especially on the European continent.

"Actually, we have been doing this export process for a very long time to foreign countries, even since the colonial era. In recent years, we have started to develop products derived from patchouli, such as perfume, lotion, medicated oil, and also anti-aging from the active ingredient of patchouli," he said, quoted by Antara, Thursday, July 28.

ARC also, he continued, fostered MSMEs so that they could have the ability, knowledge and technology to make patchouli oil-based products.

Sulawesi itself, said Dr. Syaifullah, is the largest producer of patchouli oil in Indonesia which was previously owned by Aceh. Currently, Sulawesi is the supplier of more than 70 percent of the world's patchouli oil needs.

"Many big companies have taken patchouli oil from Sulawesi. This is the reason why Sulawesi is a very potential place to become a center for developing patchouli derivative products," said Dr Syaifullah.

This training was attended by 15 SMEs as well as patchouli farmers and producers of crude patchouli oil from Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi.

In addition to theoretical material, this activity is also followed by the practice of making patchouli derivative products, such as perfume, aromatherapy to liquid soap.

One of the interesting things during the training was that a silk fabric MSME participant wanted to add aroma to their products from patchouli essential oil. The goal is that later the silk fabric produced will have a distinctive aroma that will continue to exist without perfume or fragrance being sprayed.

Dr. Syaifullah hopes that YHK can become a mentor for SMEs in Sulawesi to continue to learn and develop, especially in the theme of using patchouli oil extract.

"We also hope that within the next one year there will be MSMEs from Sulawesi that develop derivative products based on patchouli oil and that can be income generating, will open up job opportunities and reduce poverty because of these good MSME-based new businesses. ," he explained.

Meanwhile, YHK Social Economics Program Officer Heryanto hopes that the results of this training can be applied by MSME participants properly and appropriately.

Business actors can choose to build a new product based on patchouli oil and then slowly become a large-scale business that can attract more workers.

"Of course, derivative products from processed patchouli oil that have high quality can generate local and national market economies. We invite farmers from several regions in Sulawesi to transfer this knowledge not only to the MSME class, but also to have an impact on patchouli farmer groups. directly the spearhead,” said Heryanto.