Indonesia's Top Biopharmaceutical Crop in 2023: Turmeric

Biopharmaceutical plants are plants beneficial for medicine, cosmetics, and health. These plants have leaves, stems, fruits, tubers or rhizomes, and roots that can be consumed.

The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reports that turmeric was Indonesia's most produced biopharmaceutical plant in 2023, with a production volume reaching 205.65 million kilograms (kg).

Ginger was the next most produced biopharmaceutical plant last year, totaling 198.87 million kg.

This was followed by galangal production at 58.81 million kg, fingerroot at 47.89 million kg, temulawak at 24.32 million kg, temuireng at 3.92 million kg, and lempuyang at 3.66 million kg.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) is promoting the development of herbal medicines to achieve pharmaceutical self-reliance and transform the health system in Indonesia.

Director General of Pharmacy and Medical Devices at Kemenkes, Rizka Andalucia, stated that government support for this initiative is outlined in Law No. 17 of 2023 concerning Health (UU Kesehatan), which gives a role to natural ingredient medicines and phytopharmaceuticals.

“We are trying to place these phytopharmaceuticals in conventional health services, so we hope that the application of herbal medicine in Indonesia will become increasingly optimal,” said Rizka in her statement, as reported by *Antara* on Monday (4/12/2023).