Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Not only making panic to the people, the pandemic of corona virus (Covid-19), at least, gives profits to the medical plants producers. One thing to avoid the spread of Covid—19 is by keeping the immunity well.

Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) instructed his officers to develop the herbal and medical plants which have better economic and usages, namely in the pandemic.

“Everyone could drink herbal or traditional drinks. There are many natural ingredients from our country and believed to increase the immunity,” SYL said.

Retire-woman, Sudaryati (60) of Wonosobo, Central Java succeeded to develop kinds of useful herbal drinks.

“It started from my try to maintain the vitality of my body. Then I keep growing the business to be bigger,” she said, Saturday (18/4/2020) as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

She and Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) Berdikari develop the business since 13 December 2013, the ‘Jamu Rumpun Padi’ is sold everywhere..

For the increasing production, she needs to multiply the workers to produce  and pact the empon-empon. In normal days, there were 7 workers only but now they are 15. The ingredients, material were from the farmers in Wonosobo and some others in Central Java.

“The increasing production and turn-over of Jamu Rumpun Padi have something to do with the increasing demands. It is believed that the traditional drinks could prevent the disease and spread of corona virus,” she said

Sudaryati also mentioned that in the normal days, she could sell 150 boxes but in this situation, she could hardly sell 300 boxes.

The increasing demands in the pandemic of Covid-19 derive from Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Malang, and others out of Java. Besides the domestic, she also regularly exports to Suriname, Netherland, and Malaysia.

“In about two months, I could sell 150 thousand boxes because mine has the license and kosher certificate within good quality. In the recent days, general directorate of horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture ordered 1.860 boxes of red ginger,” she said.

She also told that the product could strengthen the immunity for it has curcuma.

Prof. Dr Choirul Anwar Nidam, MS, the professor of Universitas Airlangga (Unair) Surabaya researched her product.

“There is no preservative and it is scientifically accounted,” she said.

The powder drink is famously known as empon-empon. It is from Javanese language which means, the medical plants. The materials consist of turmeric, chili zingiber zerumbat, kaemferia galangal, soursoup leaves, zingiber zerumbet, curcuma xanthorrhiza, and red ginger.

“Every material is naturally processed and without preservative materials,” she mentioned.

She also told that the production house in Mirombo RT 1, RW 1, No. 35, Rojoimo, Wonosobo started from the help of ministry of agriculture, and the production tools did too in 2015. (A2)