3 New Export Destination for South Kalimantan Agricultural Commodities

South Kalimantan Province now has three new export destinations for agricultural commodities. These destinations are the Philippines, Egypt and Turkey. The three countries are added to the long list of commodity export destination countries. Especially for palm products and Swallow nests export.

According to kompas.com, Head of the Banjarmasin Agricultural Quarantine Center Nur Hartanto said the demand for palm oil from the three countries was quite high. The demand is influenced by the need for energy from raw materials.

“The demand for palm oil products from the Philippines, Egypt and Turkey is quite high. These countries need renewable energy sources that are environmentally friendly. The palm shells from South Kalimantan have met the quality of the raw materials needed,” he explained.

In addition, based on the Banjarmasin Agricultural Quarantine Quarantine Automated System (IQfast), South Kalimantan’s export value for November 2022 reached IDR 7.03 trillion. The export value is dominated by the plantation sub-sector, such as palm oil and its derivatives. This sub-sector produces 498 thousand tons of products with a value of IDR 6.2 trillion.

Meanwhile, the animal commodity sub-sector was dominated by the Swallow nest, producing 1.5 tons of product. Overall, the animal commodity sub-sector is worth IDR 25.2 billion.

Step In For Export Activities

Nurhartanto added that his party had stepped in to help export activities. His party has certified 650 times the export activities of agricultural commodities with a total volume of up to 539 thousand tons. His party also carried out the Banjarmasin Agricultural Quarantine. A series of quarantine measures to ensure the condition of palm products and swallow’s nests. So that the quality of the product is in accordance with the demand of the destination country.

“The quarantine measures in question include document and physical inspection, fumigation control, and inspection of transportation means. This is done to prevent the presence of pests that can reduce the quality of exported products,” he said.

Head of the Agricultural Quarantine Agency Bambang revealed that exports from the agricultural sector have increased on a national scale in 2022. Even until the end of 2022, agricultural exports recorded transactions worth USD 4.32 billion. An increase of 12.44% compared to the same period last year.

“The performance of agricultural exports continues to be boosted through various programs and policies. Among them are the three times export movement program (Gratieks) as well as increasing national food production,” explained Bambang.