Lebak Regency, Banten Province is a center for palm sugar producers. In the momentum of Ramadan this time, the craftsmen managed to reap a turnover of up to twice the normal days. The Lebak area is a center for palm sugar production because it is supported by palm sugar plantations. Many people in this area develop sap plantations to produce palm sugar. The number of palm sugar craftsmen in the Lebak area is 148 craftsmen with a sap plantation area of 170 hectares. Palm sugar production from Lebak is supplied to Rangkasbitung Market and several other areas, such as Bogor, Jakarta, Tangerang to Bandung. Palm sugar craftsmen sell to various containers depending on quality from Rp. 200,000 to Rp. 350,000 per five bunches of palm sugar. The Department of Cooperatives and SMEs of Lebak Regency, Imam Suangsa said palm sugar production from Lebak is the largest in Banten Province, with a capacity of thousands of tons per month to be supplied to various regions in the country. The Lebak Regency Government has determined palm sugar to be the regional superior product. Palm sugar from this area is quite natural and is included in the organic category. Sugar palm plantations owned by farmers are not exposed to chemical fertilizers and grow in mountainous and hilly areas scattered in the Districts of Sobang, Cijaku, Cigemblong, Cihara, Malingping, Panggarangan, Bayah, Cilograng, Cibeber, Leuwidamar, Cirinten, Muncang, and Lebak Gedong. "We recorded 5,815 palm sugar craftsmen with a turnover of up to Rp 96.65 billion per year," he said, quoted from Antara, Tuesday (5/4/2022).
The head of the Mitra Mandala Joint Business Group (KUBE) in Lebak Regency, Anwar Aan, said that along with the arrival of Ramadan, the turnover of craftsmen increased significantly due to the increase in demand for these commodities for souvenirs and other purposes. "Usually Rp. 3 million has now become Rp. 7 million per three days. We ensure that the palm sugar income can stimulate the economy of rural communities," he said as quoted by Antara, Tuesday (5/4/2022). Meanwhile, the owner of Najwa Shop, Awa (45) who sells various traditional foods on Jalan Sunan Bonang Rangkasbitung, Lebak Regency, said that he was overwhelmed by the demand for palm sugar during the month of Ramadan. Consumers buy palm sugar in large quantities to be used as souvenirs or "handiwork".
