Garut Tobacco Penetrates Southeast Asian Markets

Garut tobacco (Photo: jabarprov.go.id)

JAKARTA - Tobacco in Garut Regency, West Java, is now exported to Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and several other countries.

Launching from the West Java Provincial Government website, Idin Suhanda, Chairman of the Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association of Garut Regency, said that tobacco from Garut has very good quality.

"We mostly market Garut tobacco to Temanggung Regency, Central Java," said Idin when receiving a visit from the Deputy Regent of Garut, Helmi Budiman, at the handing over of aid from Baznas Garut, in Rancabango Village, Tarogong Kaler District, Thursday, July 23.

Idin added, not only to Central Java, Garut tobacco is also marketed to Southeast Asia, it's just that the types are different from those marketed in Indonesia.

"Meanwhile, what we market to Southeast Asia is specifically the production of black tobacco," he said.

According to him, tobacco production in Garut Regency is quite potential, with an area of 10 thousand hectares of tobacco farming, spread over 24 districts.

"Tobacco production averages 10 to 12 tons per hectare within a year," he said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Regent of Garut, Helmi Budiman, said that the money circulating in Garut tobacco farmers was managed by nearly 8 thousand families, reaching IDR 200 billion.

"With post-harvest management, the money in circulation can reach 400 billion to 600 billion rupiah," he said.

Helmi, who was accompanied by the Head of the Garut Regency Agriculture Service, Beni Yoga, added, Garut Regency in 2020 received Tobacco Excise Sharing Fund of IDR 27 billion, and almost half of it is managed for the health sector.

"For agriculture alone, it is only around Rp. 3 billion, which is used mostly for post-harvest handling, including searching for tobacco with low nicotine content," he said.

The Garut tobacco varieties approved by the Garut Regency government are Tegar 1, Tegar 2, Tegar 3, A1, and A2 varieties.