Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), agricultural exports in 2021 amounted to IDR 625 trillion with the contribution of the plantation sector, including andaliman commodities, which reached 91%. Acting Director General of Plantations Ali Jamil said the value of agricultural exports could increase by increasing the amount of production according to the Triple Export Movement (Gratieks) program. "So Andaliman's market is quite large and the price is promising," said Ali in a written statement, Monday (4/18/2022). When planting andaliman in Panei Tongah Village, Panei District, Simalungun Regency, Medan, Ali added that the activity was a follow-up to the National Spice Day Declaration which was held in December last year. "For this reason, it is hoped that the National Indonesian Spice Council will have a master plan for the development of spices in Indonesia," said Ali.
Furthermore, he ensured that his party will continue to encourage the plantation sector by encouraging production and downstreaming, so that North Sumatra does not only rely on oil palm commodities, but there are many other plantation commodities that can still be encouraged, such as coffee, sugar palm, and andaliman. Ali explained that currently Andaliman exports from Indonesia to Europe are quite large because it is used as a substitute for tobacco. "We can prove that we can. Don't just sell the downstream, but we control the upstream as well," he said. Given the size of the demand, Ali asked all parties to jointly encourage the production of this North Sumatran plant. Meanwhile, the Head of the Medan Plantation Seed and Plant Protection Center, Agus Hartono, admitted that he was ready to oversee the development of andaliman by providing recommendations on what varieties have high production. "We are ready to oversee the development of andaliman," concluded Agus.
