One Day Seminar on Upstream Downstream Standardization of Product Herbal Medicine of Biopharmaca

Search result of researcher of Faculty of Forestry of IPB,  Ir. Siswoyo, was the potential of herbal medicine plants of Indonesia newly recognized around 29,375 types. This was conveyed when becoming the resource person in a One Day Seminar on Upstream Downstream Standardization of Product Herbal Medicine of Biopharmaca, in Salak Hotel, Bogor (25/9). This seminar was held in the 16th Dies Natalis of the Center of Biopharmaca of IPB, all at once the 51st Dies Natalis of IPB.

Further conveyed by Ir.Siswoyo, there were many problems in the upstream. Because many factors that could threaten the conservation of medicinal plants of Indonesia, among them was the more land conversion so that there was the diminished of the land potential for medicinal plants. Besides that, there was the lack of attention toward the management and cultivation of medicinal plants, including having been eroded the traditional culture and knowledge of community which preferred drug store than herbal medicine. Therefore, according to Ir. Siswoyo, it was important that presumably appropriate government policy was for the conservation and preservation areas for medicinal plants.

But, Indonesian pontetial that was rich of this biodiversity could not compete in the world market, this was conveyed by Dr. Ir. Eka Intan. The fact was, the position and competitiveness of herbal product of Indonesia were still low because they were still difficult to be marketed, both within the country and to be exported. This was because the products had not been standardized. Not to mention the market share of the commmodity exports and the herbal products of Indonesia declined of 0.6 per cent from 2000 upto now. No less ironically, the herbal products of Indonesia averagely were still using the simple technology, the quality of human resources were still limited in skill and knowledge.

Based on this matter, it was important to have the strategy for strenghtening the position of herbal product of Indonesia. This could be done by strengthening the technology for herbal medicine product used by home industry to be able to lessen the production cost and to be able to have the competitiveness. The crucial thing was, the increase of government commitment in strengthening the competitiveness of herbal product of Indonesia and the necessity of the increase of the quality of human resources plunged into the herbal product.

This one day seminar event was opened by Head of Institute for Research and Service to Community (LPPM) of IPB,  Dr.Prastowo attended by approximately 110 participants, consisting of researchers, government officials, and practitioners.