Jamu maker exports

JAKARTA (JP): Traditional jamu (herbal medicine) producer PT Sido Muncul receives Rp 300 million (US$111,000) per month in export earnings from other Association of Southeast Asian countries, the company's executive said.

President of the Central Java-based Sido Muncul, Irwan Hidayat, said in Semarang, Central Java, over the weekend, that demand for jamu in other ASEAN countries had increased significantly.

ASEAN comprises Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"We are targeting to expand exports to the Middle East and Korea. The demand for jamu there is also high," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Hidayat said that Sido Muncul would double its production capacity to 360,000 tons from 120,000 tons per month.

"To increase the capacity we are constructing a new facility in Klepu near Semarang with Rp 16 billion investment," he said, adding the facility would operate by the end of 1998.

He said that Sido Muncul had to improve the quality of its products to enable it to compete with other herbal medicine producers from China, the United States and Australia. (icn)