The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) is focusing on developing porang plants because it has a very promising export market. Director General of Food Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Suwandi, said that the focus on developing commodities that are of interest to the export market is very important to improve people's welfare and national economic growth. “The benefits of porang are for dry chips, starch for noodles, pasta, bread, cakes, as well as feed and organic matter. Porang contains glucomannan for functional food for anti-obesity, anti-diabetes, anti-cholesterol, pharmaceutical and biodegradable packaging, ediblecoating, ediblefilm, planting media, organic fertilizers, jelly. Also for the cosmetic, sanitary, polymer industries. Porang is exported to China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Singapore, and others, "said Suwandi.
As for Suwandi, together with the Deputy Chairperson of Commission IV DPR RI, Hasan Aminuddin, conducted a work visit as well as a meeting with porang farmers in Madiun Regency, Friday, November 20, 2020. The activity begins with visiting the porang processing factory at PT. Asia Prima Konjac in Suwu Village, Balarejo District, Madiun Regency. Hasan Aminuddin said that his presence in Madiun was in order to directly check and supervise porang development activities in the field with a budget that had been disbursed worth Rp 36 billion. Madiun Regency itself has quite good potential for porang cultivation and requires a variety of commodities other than rice and corn. "There is tremendous potential with these people. Previously I was familiar with this plant. Porang commodity exports have skyrocketed, we continue to support the development of cultivation, "Hasan explained.
Furthermore, Suwandi said that the Ministry of Agriculture has spent a quite large budget for developing Porang for Madiun. However, he asked the farmers to continue with the use of the people's business credit fund (KUR) facility. "We (Ministry of Agriculture, - red) will move to another location. The area of land in Madiun Regency is 25 percent of the national level and is the largest location in Indonesia. This person has been exported to 16 countries, in 2020 as many as 19,800 tons worth Rp. 880 billion. , "he said. The Porang plant (Amorphophallus Muelleri Blume) has strategic value to be developed because it has ample opportunity to be exported. The market share of processed porang products in the form of chips, flour, glucomannan and ready-to-eat porang products is very high. Based on information from the Agricultural Quarantine Agency, the largest volume of porang exports is to China with total exports in 2020 (up to October 12, 2020) amounting to 8,675 tons.
Porang is a shade tolerant plant with 40 to 60 percent shade. Porang can grow on any type of soil at an altitude of 100 to 600 meters above sea level. In fact, the nature of the plant allows it to be cultivated on forest land under the shade of other plant stands. Harris, a porang industry businessman, said the harvest in Madiun could be 15 tonnes per hectare and the price was Rp 10,000 to 14,000 per kilogram (kg). 1 kg porang is processed in the form of dry chips to 15 percent of which is sold at a good price, namely Rp. 80,000 perg. "Porang tubers contain a lot of glucomannan in the form of flour. Glucomannan is a natural water-soluble fiber commonly used as a food additive as an emulsifier and thickener, and can even be used as an ingredient in environmentally friendly glue and aircraft components," he explained. Regional Secretary of Madiun Regency, Tontro Pahlawanto, said that porang is a new commodity developed as an alternative food and export target. Porang is currently a mainstay commodity in Madiun and in 2020 its seeds have been released, namely the Madiun-1 variety. "We hope it can be marketed more widely, especially in Madiun Regency," he said. Also on this occasion were members of Commission IV DPR H. Mutahrom, Endang Thohari, Guntur Sasono, Ummi Yathul Chusna, Hamid Noor Yasin, Ibnu Multazam, H. Charles Meiksyah, Slamet Ariyadi and Endro Purnomo. Members of Commission IV DPR at the same time provide symbolic assistance in the form of porang seeds, KUR, two-wheeled tractors, corn seeds, rice seeds and insurance.
The Ministry of Agriculture in 2020 has facilitated assistance covering an area of 17,896 ha including a pilot project for seedlings covering an area of 30 ha and the development of fertilizer assistance for 17,866 ha. The implementation of activities in 6 Provinces includes East Java, Central Java, West Java, Banten, East Nusa Tenggara and South Sulawesi Provinces.
