Padang (ANTARA) - A total of 108.4 tons of processed W Sumatra coconuts were officially exported to Europe and the United States which were officially released by the Ministry of Agriculture through the Agricultural Quarantine Agency in Padang on Thursday.
"Of the seven agricultural commodities exported today, there are exports of three processed products from coconut commodities," said Ali Jamil, Agriculture Quarantine Agency when releasing exports in Teluk Bayur Padang.
The exported W Sumatra coconut commodities consist of coconut milk, grated coconut and coconut water.
He detailed that 35.2 tons of coconut milk valued at Rp. 612.7 million were sent to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, 37.2 tons of grated coconut worth Rp. 827 million were exported to Germany and Norway and 36 tons of coconut water worth Rp. 308 million were directed to England.
While the Head of Padang Agriculture Quarantine Eka Hernida Yanto said that in 2018 the total exports of processed coconut reached 8,615 tons or Rp111.92 billion.
While in 2019 it reached 6,221 tons worth Rp82.85 billion and even though it was only six months but it had reached 72 percent compared to 2018 exports, "he said.
In addition to processed coconut commodities, 11,000 tons of palm shells were also exported to Japan. Palm shells are the largest export commodity in Sumatra and this time is the first export of palm shells for PT Pinang Mas Energy.
In 2019 the export of palm shells reached 234 thousand tons or valued at Rp234 billion.
According to Eka this is in line with the policy of the Minister of Agriculture in an effort to accelerate export acceleration, adding a variety of commodities is one of the programs that are encouraged in addition to growing new exporters from the young.
"The Agricultural Quarantine Agency with the Agro Gemilang program is ready to provide guidance and technical assistance to exporters of agricultural commodities to the global market," he said.
The other three commodities that were also given a phytosanitary certificate today were 173.2 tons of cinnamon for Britain, France and Singapore worth Rp14.6 billion, 102.7 tons of areca nut for Thailand valued at Rp1.8 billion and 100.8 tons of rubber for India worth IDR 2.2 billion.
The phytosanitary certificate is a guarantee given by the Agriculture Quarantine Agency that the commodity has passed quarantine inspection as required by the export destination country.
The Governor of W Sumatra, represented by the Expert Staff of the Governor of W Sumatra, Muhammad Yani, said that the regional agricultural potential must be supported by the potential of human resources to be able to add value to benefits, especially business people and be able to compete with other countries.
Yani said that all elements in the W Sumatra provincial government institution fully support the accelerated exportation which is intensively carried out on business people to continue to provide benefits and invite them to continue to innovate so that agricultural products provide added value to the country's foreign exchange earnings. (*)
Baca juga: Santan dan air kelapa dari Sumbar tembus pasar Eropa dan Amerika
Editor: Mutiara Ramadhani
Translated by: Internship Student of ANTARA 2019
Coconut milk and coconut water from West Sumatra penetrate the European and American markets
The release of W Sumatra's coconut exports to Europe and America by the Agriculture Quarantine Agency in Padang, on Thursday, August 1. (Antara Sumbar / istimewa)
