Taiwanese Delegation Impressed by Sido Muncul Factory, Opens Cooperation Opportunities
The delegation of academics and researchers was led by Prof. Yuan Shiun Cheng, Ph.D., a Professor of Pharmacognosy from the Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences at China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan. They visited the factory of PT Industri Jamu Dan Farmasi Sido Muncul Tbk in Bergas District, Semarang Regency, to observe the raw materials and processing of herbal plants.
The visit was part of a field study on Indonesia’s medicinal plant resources. The delegation comprised experts and stakeholders from various sectors, including government, academia, agriculture, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) industry, as well as TCM pharmaceutical companies and importers.
During the visit, they toured facilities including the Tolak Angin factory, laboratories, a pharmacology lab, and an extraction plant. The group also brought a list of 100 TCM medicinal plants that are key import commodities for Taiwan. Several plants already imported from Indonesia, such as cloves, Helminthostachys zeylanica root, pepper, and Curcuma longa rhizome, were among the subjects of study.
Sido Muncul’s President Director, Dr. (H.C) Irwan Hidayat, welcomed the delegation and stated that the visit was an important opportunity to showcase Indonesia’s capability in developing a modern and standardised herbal medicine industry. He noted that the visit could open doors for cooperation, particularly as the delegation was looking to purchase raw materials from Indonesia. Irwan explained that Sido Muncul has a complete ecosystem, from farmer groups and research to production processes, which offers greater efficiency compared to smaller-scale factories in Taiwan.
Beyond raw material procurement, Irwan also expressed openness to research collaboration with Taiwanese institutions. He emphasised that Indonesia’s vast wealth of medicinal plants must be supported by sustainable cultivation, quality standards, and scientific research to compete in the international market, expressing confidence that Indonesia could become a global source of herbal raw materials.
Prof. Yuan Shiun Cheng expressed that he was very impressed by the scale and high standards of the Sido Muncul facility. He explained that while Taiwan has traditional Chinese pharmaceutical factories, they do not refer to their products as ‘jamu’. He noted similarities in production standards, as Taiwan’s industry must also comply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.
Yuli Widiastuti, a senior researcher at BRIN in the field of medicinal and herbal plants, stated that Sido Muncul was chosen for the visit because it is considered a representative example of the jamu industry in Indonesia. She added that China Medical University integrates both conventional medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, even operating a specialised hospital and offering dedicated education for TCM practitioners.