indonesian market report 8th august to 13th august

As expected the cargo was very short this week. Most of the collectors/exporters find it difficult to collect gambier this week

Payakumbuh and Jakarta based exporters was giving the highest bid in the market.

This weeks prices had touched 19500.

collectors/farmers of suranti/sigantur markets  had started delivery to payakumbuh ( 100km away from their market destinations) due to high prices

farmers on the other had is happy that the gambier prices are in the up trend. 

 " its the gift of god that when we start puasa (fasting) the price of gambier is going up. we where really worried on how to celebreate lebaran (muslim festival) this year. But now we are happy  says andi a farmer from siganur"

Indonesian market report 1 august to 6 august 2011

this week the market had reached a price of 19,000/kg. The cargo inflow in this week was huge. Most of the exporters sitting at Padang and Medan was also aggressive.
As this is the first week of fasting, farmers and collectors try to sell most of their cargo for money.

This week farmers had not produced gambier. The impact of this will come next week as the cargo for sure will be short next week.

Indonesian market report 25july to 30 july 2011

The Market had picked up pace and aggressive buying had started. The Market prices where at 19000 idr/kg,

exporters and collectors are trying to cover up more stock as they are expecting a short crop in the second week of august. Its because normally the first week of fasting ( that is the first week of august) farmers will stop working.

Indonesian market report 18 july to 23 july 2011

Gambier booch prices had moved up to 18500 level this week.

Most of the exporters where not ready to buy the cargo by the beginning of the week. The Indian/Indonesian markets  was unstable due to the verdict from supreme court of India on 20th July , but after 20th July most of the exporters become aggressive in purchases. most of the collectors/exporters where trying to collect more volumes by the end of the week

By the end of the week some of the Kanpur buyers where at Medan.

Next week, the prices will peak up as all the exporters are aggressive for procurement. Local prices at Padang are expected to be above 19500 level next week .

Low catechin gambier is at 16500/kg this week .

Indonesian market report 11 july to 16 july

The Market is picking up with even more exporters active. The prices at local market reach 15000 to 16000 levels whereas the Exporters buy at range of 17000 to 18000 for a kilo

One of the Medan based exporter had visited Payakumbuh farmer markets which in turn had given a boost in the price and a indication for the farmers that the price is going to go up

This year the Muslim holidays are early @ end august hence the fasting will begin by the end of the month and the exporters very well know that the production is going to drop on fasting month. and think this is the best time to cover stocks at these low prices.

Indonesian market report 4 july to 9 july

The Production had picked up and the market is getting active. There where more collectors in the market and the number of farmers had also increased.

The local prices at Padang and Medan which the exporters are quoting are 17,000 to 18,000 levels.

Most of the exporters are active in the market

july bringing hope to farmers

" its all bad news for us farmers since last December, a lot of my friends where disappointed and most of them stopped working. I was still sticking on to gambier production because I do not know any other work other than this. My 14 year old son start working and that was an additional income for my family, actually that help us to survive in this hard times

whenever collectors come they only offer lower price, week after week it make us feel that we are wasting our efforts, since June 15th there was no price drop.

July the prices are picking up, and its bringing hope for us poor people and an appreciation for our hard work and for a long wait"

Mr Mardi (farmer)

Indonesian Market report 27 june - 2 july 2011

Production of Gambier had still not picked up this week. Collection markets where without much sellers.
Lumpang and count grades where of high demand.

Officers from the Government of Padang , Ministry of Agriculture had visited some of the gambier growing villages on Monday 27th june. This was a follow up on some of the local news paper report on studying regarding the less production of the gambier crop.

The price in turn had been in an uptrend. The current local prices had turned up to idr 16000 to idr 17000 per kg.

Starving Gambier Farmers - Local News Paper report

The Local news paper of Padang " The Padang Express" had reported starving of Gambier Farmers

The News Translates like this

Gambier Farmers in the district of "Limapuluh Kota", especially in the sub districts of "Pankalan - Koto Baru" and "kapur ix" are starving. The children also is in the edge of dropping out from schools . This is because of the continuous drop in the prices of gambier. Its the third week of June and still the prices are unclear

" The prices of gambier is sill not clear. Collectors buy at idr 11,000/kg and even in some places less than idr 10,000/kg. There is no fixed price for the farmers. Gambier is becoming a difficult commodity " said Mr.Zarul Kasmi ( Village Head of Pankalan- Koto Bangun)

The former Head of the Village of Lubuk alai Mr.Irman also said " yes farmers in Limapuluh Kota are suffering badly this year. Prices of gambier came down uncontrollably. Prices had reached a level of idr 8000/kg"

Some of the house wives also added " We had to take loans with high interest rate form people for our daily bread and to keep our kids in school"

The Actual News in Indonesian Language is below

 

Petani Terancam Kelaparan

Harga Gambir Turun Terus

Petani gambir di Kecamatan Kapur IX dan Pangkalan Koto Baru, Kabupaten Limapuluh Kota, terancam kelaparan. Anak-anak mereka juga terancam putus sekolah dan putus kuliah. Ini terjadi karena harga gambir terus-terusan turun. Bahkan, dalam minggu kedua sampai ketiga bulan Juni 2011, harga gambir semakin tidak jelas.

"Harga gambir sekarang tidak jelas. Ada yang membeli Rp11 ribu perkilogram, ada pula yang membeli kurang dari Rp10 ribu. Tidak ada harga pasti untuk petani. Pokoknya, ekonomi petani gambir benar-benar sedang susah," kata Zarul Kasmi, Wali Nagari Kotobangun, Kecamatan Kapur IX kepada Padang Ekspres (Grup PadangToday), Kamis (16/6).

Tokoh masyarakat Nagari Lubuakalai, Kecamatan Kapur IX, Irman Teddy juga mengungkapkan hal serupa. "Ya, petani gambir di Kapur IX, tahun ini sangat menderita. Harga gambir turun sejadi-jadinya. Bahkan sampai Rp8 ribu perkilogram," ujar mantan wali nagari itu.

Sejumlah istri petani gambir di Nagari Sialang, Kecamatan Kapur IX mengatakan, turunnya harga gambir membuat mereka terpaksa berhutang kepada lintah darat, untuk membeli beras dan menyekolahkan anak-anak.

"Daripado awak indak makan, anak indak sikolah, dialah kami bautang (Ketimbang tidak makan dan anak tidak sekolah, biarlah berhutang)," ujar Eti, 43, dan Ina, 38, ketika ditemui di pasar Muaropaiti, pekan lampau.

Production down by 69.7% @ LimaPuluh Kota

Production drop at Limapuluh Kota
market	production/week in MT		down by
	dec '10	jun '11
gelugur	15	4	73.3%
sialang	35	25	28.6%
durian tinggi	20	3	85.0%
koto bangun	10	1	90.0%
murapeti	35	5	85.7%
lubuk alai	40	15	62.5%
koto lamo	35	15	57.1%
rimbodatar	10	3	70.0%
pankalan	15	4	73.3%
G malintan	25	5	80.0%
Mangilang	15	5	66.7%
Koto alam	10	3	70.0%
Harau	20	5	75.0%
Halaban	7	2	71.4%
Simpang kapas	5	1	80.0%
Talang	8	2	75.0%
Mahat	35	5	85.7%
TOTAL	340	103	69.7%

indonesian market report 20 june to 25 june 2011

The week started with a slight increase in the market. The local prices where ranging from 15500 to 16000. But two three exporters were having more interest in the market and was buying at idr 17000/kg.

Lumpang grades had picked up some demand. Exporters where trying to buy lumpang grades, but till they were not able to cover more than 5MT of lumpang per week. The Local prices of lumpang is idr 16,000/kg
The supply was still very low and is expected to be low in the near future

Indonesian market report 13june to 18 june

This week see some difference in the market. After a long down trend the market had bottomed up and the price in the local market had stabilised at idr 15,000 level. The Production at the Local markets had drastically dropped and the collectors where not able to buy more cargo. Exporters where very calm as they where sticking on to minimum procurement. Export Prices are at USD2250/MT CNF India

"The market went too down and the down trend was for a long time as well, That made a lot of mess in the market. Now I hear  that all the exporters are waiting for July... Ahhhh again bad weeks ahead,,, Riko (collector from suranti)"

Indonesian market report 6th june to 11 june 2011

Market is still down, Even though the farmers selling price touched idr 10,000 the selling price in Padang reaches only 15000/kg - 16000/kg. That is mainly because the excess amount of weight loss buying agents are having. ( as most of the padang exporters had minimized procurement and are buying only dry cargo. as a result the buying agents are drying gambier to its maximum so that their cargo does not get rejected)

IDR 10,000 is the price

The price had touched idr 10,000 a kilo at at limapulah kota markets. Most of the markets in limapuluh kota traded at an average of idr 10,000 for wet gambier.

The Buying agents where too particular to choose good cargo from farmers,

Even though the production was less, the buying agents does not show any interest in buying which in turn press the price down.

Gambier Farmers at Harau are looking for new jobs

Harau Valley is so beautiful,,, nature gifted flora and fona. Beautiful mountains and breath taking waterfalls. People of harau is farmers, The main crop include paddy and gambier.

We had a  chat with one of the Gambier farmer of this region.....

" I am now 47 years, I am doing gambier since I  was 25 years. I had seen ups and downs of gambier. The price was like this before also,,,, but now the price of everything had increased so this is a very low price,,, difficult to survive,,, he (pointing at his coworker) is going to Jakarta to find a new job,,, I hear that lot of other farmers are also changing their jobs,,, most of them going outside the village to find job,,,,,Currently the price of gambier is idr 12,000 for a kg. and idr 6,000 we need to give our land owner. by the balance 6000 how can we three of us share,,, he continues,,,, land owners also are not interested in gambier,, they are planting cocoa, rubber etc now,,, soon i need to also look for a new job"

Supreme court of India agreed to hear plea against gudka and pan masala manufactures

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New Delhi - 30 may 2011. The Supreme Court of India on Monday agreed to hear a plea against gutka and pan masala manufacturing companies for allegedly using plastic material in sachets in violation of its order banning use of such materials.
The application, filed by an advocate alleged almost all the companies--Pan Parag, RMD Gutka, Dilbag Gutaka, Rajashree Gutka, Rajdarabar Gutka-- are flouting the apex court order which had banned using of plastics in gutka and pan masala sachets after March 1. "Even long after the cut-off date of March 1, fixed by the Supreme Court, all the gutka and paan masala manufacturers are using plastic material in package sachets to sell such product to public. It is a deliberate and ingenious flouting of the law on their parts," advocate Abani Sahu, who filed the application, contended. He submitted these companies continue to use regular plastic material within the outer paper packet. "Many gutka and pan masala companies continue to use regular plastic material within the outward paper packaging material to deceptively conceal the usage of such plastic material and convey a misleading picture of superficial and seemingly visible external compliance with the Supreme Court's order," he said. A bench of justices G S Singhvi and C K Prasad, after hearing his arguments, posted the matter for final hearing on July 6. The apex court had on May 11 issued a contempt notice to the Managing Director of Dharampal Satyapal group of companies, makers of two popular brands of tobacco Rajnigandha and Tulsi, for allegedly defying its order banning use of plastic sachets for sale of their products. The Supreme Court had in December last imposed a ban on the use of plastic in packaging of tobacco products and set March 1 as the deadline within which the tobacco manufacturers need to implement its order. The Supreme Court ruling had come in midst of reports that more than five million children under the age of 15 years in India suffer from various forms of mouth cancers, which is mainly attributed to unregulated consumption of gutkha. In states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, more than 16 per cent mouth cancer patients are children. ================================================

still there is plastic

Gutkha and pan masala manufacturers' new initiative to sell their products in paper and aluminium foil pouches has run into trouble with the pollution control authority stating it could still contain plastic.

The pan masala makers were forced to change the packaging material following a Supreme Court ban on sale of these products in plastic pouches from March 1, 2011. "The pollution control board has so far not permitted the sale of pan masala in any new packing, as the sample provided by the manufacturers was sent to Lucknow pollution board where the results are awaited. "No manufacturer can sell his product until and unless they get a no objection certificate from Lucknow Board," said U.P Pollution Control Board regional officer Radheshyam. He added that sale of pan masala and gutkha in the new pouch prior to the permission from the Pollution Control Board would be in violation of the Supreme Court order, and legal action would be taken against those who indulge in it. The pan masala and gutkha manufacturers said they started selling the products in the new paper and aluminium pouch, after the excise department sent the sample pouch for testing. Kanpur Kirana Association Chairman and one of the city's leading pan masala distributor, Rakesh Agarwal, told PTI Bhasha today that the sample pouch sent to the excise department will be tested for a possible plastic content. He said if it does not meet the yardstick then they would recall the new packing. Agarwal added that the manufacturers are taking necessary precautions to ensure the pouch is plastic free, and also taking in writing from the packaging firms that the material does not contain plastic. Five prominent brands have started selling the products in the new packaging, and other manufacturers are expected to follow suit by 1 April. Agarwal said pan and gutka manufacturers would not raise prices despite switching over to the costlier packaging.

Buyers Market

It’s a buyer’s market. Since December 2010 it has been an uncontrolled down slide of price. Price from 33,000 for a kilo had reached 15,000 for a kilo. Farmers are getting the whole pressure down the line in this supply chain. Gambier prices can again come down, Even though the Gambier production had a considerable drop, it can’t match up with the reduced demand.  

The suppliers and big collectors of Gambier where expecting that the Gambier prices will not drop below 18,000 idr/kg, as it would be difficult for the farmers to survive. But what we saw was that the farmers still survive and still make Gambier. In kapur ix 80-85% and pasair selatan 60% of the farmers are working for Gambier.  In Kapur ix the farmers have no other alternative other than to make Gambier. Yes there is rubber and palm, but not all Gambier farmers can convert themselves for these commodities. Only around 10-15% of Gambier farmers can work in palm and rubber plantations. The other farmers have to make Gambier for their livelihood. In Pasasir Selatan, the situation is different, when the Gambier prices where high last years a lot of fishermen, paddy farmers started doing Gambier, for them to change back to their previous work fields would be easy.

Quality of the Gambier tends to improve a bit due to the less demand. As farmers very well know that it would be difficult for them to sell if the quality is bad. Suppliers and collectors are pressing the prices as they don’t know what would be the prices for the coming week.

Although Local news papers are reporting continuously about the drop in Gambier prices and its consequences among the farmers. the farmers are hoping that the prices to go by July 2011.

Gambier Export Volume form Indonesia

Indonesian market report may 30th to 4 th june 2011

The market had crashed further, Both Exporters and big collectors are not showing any interest in procurement. Most of the people are waiting till July to know the fate of Gambier trade.

Big suppliers are trying to offer more cargo to the market due to this down trend and in turn again pushing down the market.

Local speculators/stockists are not in the market as they are expecting the price of gambier to come below 15,000idr/kg.


On 30th the local market where 16,000idr/kg for cargo from limapuluh kota and 17000 idr/kg form sigantur/surantih market and by Saturday 4th June the prices are at 15,000idr/kg at limapuluh kota and 16000idr/kg at siganur/surantih market

Gambier leaf prices  also had dropped below 750idr/kg

Indonesian market report may 2011 - week 4

Sunday, The market opened very dull at Kapur IX  and Payakumbuh Markets.

Monday there was no deliveries from suppliers to exporters based at Padang/Medan/Jakarta. Starting price of the week range from 18000 to 18500 for a kilogram.

Mid week there was some interest among the exporters, exporters stick to minimum procurement.

Indonesian market report may 2011 - week 3

The week started with no buyers,,, price ranging from 19,000 idr to 21,000 idr,,,, prices are expected to move further low towards 18,000 levels

As tuesday was holiday , the Market reopened on wednesday, As expected the price opened at 18500 to 19500 pr kg.

By the weekend the prices had reached 18000 per kg

Gambier changed my life



Irmantedi

This is a life story of Mr Irmantedi. This 43 year old is been a supplier of gambier since 1992. 19 years of working with gambier give him a lot of experience as well as changed his life.

Irmantedi was born on 28/8/1968 at jl suka karya, ke nagarian lubuk Alai, kecamatan kapur ix. He had finished his high school and went to Jakarta in search of job. But it dint last long as he need to get back to his village for taking care of his old parents.

Year 1991 Irmantedi has no house. He and his wife were staying at his wife house. That is the time he decided to do business. He sold his wife’s gold ornaments and got IDR 15 million.

1992 he started to buy gambier locally from local farmers. But he did not know where he will sell it. Then he started to sell to his cousin who sells his gambier to Gunung Linton’s (Medan based Chinese export house) agent. He used to supply 3MT per week with a price range of IDR 5000/kg to IDR 8000/kg. He worked like this for two years

1994 -1996 He started supply of cargo directly to users. He had found out that there is local consumption of Gambier in Indonesia and started supplying to Traders at Jakarta & Semarang. He was still supplying 3MT per week and price ranging from IDR 7500 to IDR 9000 per kilo.

1996 he was well known in the village as a genuine gambier buyer among the farmers. This year he becomes active in local politics as he has some local support. 1996 He started to supply his cargo to H Nisar for the next two years. He had increased the volume of his business and did 5MT per week with a price ranging from IDR 7500 to IDR 1200 per kilo

1998 he started supplying to Mr. Sanjay a Jakarta based trader. He started supplying 6.5MT per week. Price at this year ranged from IDR 7500 to IDR 12000 per kilo. He worked with sanjay next three years.

In between that in the year 1999 he stood in elections representing the party PDIP to become the panjayath member and he got elected because of his support from the farmers at this region and form 1999 to 2001 he was the member of the panjayath.

In the year 2001-2002 he had two buyers. He was supplying 2 small trucks per week. He supply to Mr. Thomas at Padang and to Mr. Sandeep at Jakarta, still the price ranging from IDR 7500 to IDR 15000 per kilo

In the year 2001 he was elected as the panjayath president of Lubuk alai , He was the president till 2007.

2002 to 2003 he supply to Mr. Sibin at Padang and to Mr. Sandeep at Batubersurat his volume was around 15MT and the price ranging from IDR 7500 to IDR 15000 per kilo.

2003 to 2004 he supply his cargo to Lampung for Mr Thomas, by that time he increased his volume to 30MT per week and the price was ranging from IDR 12000 to IDR 17000 per kilo

Year 2004 Mr. Thomas opened a godown at Padang and was supply to Padang. Next three years he worked with Mr. Thomas. The price of gambier shot up,, the price was ranging from IDR 15,000 to IDR 23,000 per kilo. He was still supplying 30MT per week.

2007 till date he had increased his volume to 45MT per week. He supply to Mr. Sibin and Mr. Ankit (exporters based out of Padang), Price of Gambier was ranging from IDR 20,0000 to IDR 32,000/kg.



Irmantedi

“Gambier had given me everything; I started my business with 15 million. Now I have 3 trucks, 2 cars, a house, a godown, a gambier plantation and 50 farmer groups working for me. My 20 year old son is now helping me in the procurement, other kids are studying.

I am working closely with the mayor of lima puluh kota for implementing quality standards for gambier whereby we have some quality specs for gambier like coffee and cocoa.

yes gambier prices and market is very bad this time, but I am for sure before lebaran (Muslim holidays) this year it will pick up

Irmantedi”

Indian Supreme Court issues contempt notice to makers of Rajnigandha pan masala

The Supreme Court today issued contempt notice to the managing director of Dharampal Satyapal group of companies, makers of two popular brands of tobacco, for allegedly defying its order banning use of plastic sachets for sale of their products.

A bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice AK Ganguly also asked the Centre to ensure total compliance of its December 2010 order "in letter and spirit".

The bench asked Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium to file an affidavit on the compliance so far carried out by the states/Union Territories.

The bench passed the direction on a fresh application moved by an NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), complaining that the manufacturers of the gutka pan masala -Rajnigandha and Tulsi - in brazen violation of the apex court order continue to sell the products in plastic sachets.

It sought contempt action against Rajeev Kumar, Managing Director of Dharampal Satyapal group, for selling tobacco product in plastic cover in violation of the apex court order.

Counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, alleged that the company in a bid to circumvent the apex court's directions against sale of the products in plastic pouches was deliberately marking the sale as "only for export" though it is being sold within the country.

He pointed out that even though the products are marked as for exports, the sale price was marked as Rs six in Indian currency, indicating that it was for domestic sale.

rajanigandha pack

"Dharampal Satyapal group, whose turnover runs into thousands of crores of rupees and which manufactures big brands like Rajnigandha and Tulsi is packing its products in plastic material even after March 1," the NGO submitted.

The petitioner also annexed some samples of tobacco product with its petition.

"This, prima facie, amounts to a serious violation of court's order and thus constitutes a contempt of court. This violation by such a big group could not have been done without the tacit understanding with the enforcement agencies that no action would be taken against the business group," the PIL petition said.

The NGO also sought contempt action against ministry of environment and forests secretary.

In a blow to gutkha and pan masala manufacturers, the Supreme Court had in December last imposed a ban on the use of plastic in packaging of tobacco products and set March 1 as the deadline within which the tobacco manufacturers need to implement its order.

The Supreme Court ruling had come in midst of reports that more than five million children under the age of 15 years in India suffer from various forms of mouth cancers, which is mainly attributed to the unregulated consumption of gutkha. In states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, more than 16% mouth cancer patients are children.

this is a copy of report published in www.dnaindia.com on 11th may 2011

Indonesian market report may 2011 - week 2

As expected the week started dull,

Its a buyers market all along. Farmers/suppliers have stock in hand and exporters does not have fresh orders....

Indonesian price range from IDR20,000/kg to IDR 23,000/kg

Most of the exporters are having financial tightness

Batik and gambier

"Batik prints" and " Batik dress" is famous all around the world. The Batik dresses are considered the most formal dress of Indonesia.

Ever wonder how Original Batik's are made.

This traditional dress is the traditional dress of Indonesia. Each colour of Batik and each patterns in batik have different meanings.

You might be wondering what is that to do with Gambier

The Brown colour is a stabilizing colour in batik.  helping you feel connected to earth.it helps with being more nurturing and supportive. Too  much brown though can decrease your feelings of self worth

The Brown colour is mainly made by the tannin in gambier. Gambier is one of the major ingredient in making the brown and black colour.

amazing is int it....

woman making batikprint

batik painting

......for more details write to us......

Adulteration

The Major adulterant used in Gambier are..

1.      Urea (fertilizer)

2.      Sand

3.      Paddy Husk

4.      Rice flour

5.      Duck/chicken feed

6.      Rock Salt

7.      Textile Colour

urea fertilizer 

wantex is the local textile dye

Adulterants are used for two reasons

1.      The adulterants are used to increase the volume of gamer, hence to generate more money by doing so.

2.      If Gambier liquor is mixed with adulterants then the Gambier liquor will solidify much faster and Gambier once molded will get dried also very faster

3.      By adding adulterants like urea the colour of the Gambier will be brown to reddish brown.

Kapur ix farmers are worried more about the "plastic rules" and "Gudka ban" in India

Kapur ix is the heaven of Gambier, this sub-district of Lima Puluh Kota has land area of 723.36sqkm mostly hills and valley, ranging from 140 to 720 m above sea level. The Population of Kapur ix is 26, 479. 87% of the population are farmers, 10% traders/suppliers and 3% others.

90% of the farmers in Kapur ix is Gambier farmers. Kapur ix is the largest Gambier producing sub-district in the whole of Indonesia. They produce over 6500MT of Gambier annually.  As Gambier being the major cash crop, they have “farmer cooperative societies” run by the local government. But unfortunately these “farmer cooperative societies” are not running properly.

gambier farmer at Lubuk Alai - Kapur ix

Traders/suppliers from kapur ix have tie-ups with big exporters/export houses in cities like Padang, Medan and Jakarta.

Farmers of kapur ix are worried about the “Plastic rules” and the “gudka ban” in india. As India is the biggest market for their Gambier produce.  

Due to the new regulations on paan masala packing in india. The prices of Gambier had drastically gone down and had affected the economy of Kapur ix badly. The news on ban of gudka at India had been a matter of concern for the Gambier farmers in the sub-district. The suppliers are keeping a track of the Indian Market through their respective Exporters.

Price of Gambier had crashed from IDR 32,000.00/kg at December 2010 to IDR 17,000.00/kg March 2011. Currently the market had picked up slightly to a bit over IDR 20,000.00/kg.

Gambier farmers are now working in Rubber & Palm Oil plantations as well as migrating to different states in search for jobs. A price below IDR 20,000.00 /kg for Gambier is not viable for the farmers.

Pasar gadang and Chinese traders

After the 2009 earthquake, china town at Padang was totally destroyed. Chinese traders got migrated to Medan and Jakarta.

Chinese temple at Padang

The town is now getting back to business. Most of the traditional Chinese traders in Padang trade in agricultural commodities like Nutmeg, Mace, Cocoa, Coffee, Betelnuts, Gambier and Cloves. These traders seldom export their goods overseas. They prefer selling their products locally.

Chinese traders were not interested in doing Gambier till last December (2010).

In the month of February 2011 and March 2011 these traders had bought Gambier. This Gambier which they bought is in the range of 20,000IDR to 25,000IDR. They keep the Gambier as a long term investment and speculating that the prices to go up to 30,000IDR levels.  The Holdings of Gambier stock range from 3Mt to 10MT per person.

Grades of Gambier

Gambier Crop Size

Difference in Production North and West Sumatra

The major differences are -

1. Planting - In West Sumatra they make seedlings at nursery for planting, but in North Sumatra (PakPak and Dairi ) they have Seedlings as well as Stem cut method for planting.
2. Harvesting of Gambier Leaves - In West Sumatra, normally farmers harvest only the matured leaves, and harvest form the bottom stems leaving the young leaves, but in North Sumatra they trim off all the leaves of the plant
3. Twigs of Gambier - In West Sumatra twigs of gmabier is also used for boiling along with the leaves for making gambier extract, while in North Sumatra they only use leaves for the production of extract and the twigs are sun dried and used as firewood
4. Boiling of Leaves - In West Sumatra leaves and twigs are tied up into a bundle and is steamed for 30 min, while in North Sumatra leaves are boiled in water in closed aluminum vessels for 30 mins
5. Reuse of Boiled and Pressed leaves - In West Sumatra after pressing the steamed leaves are not reused, but they are repressed, while in North Sumatra the used leaves are again boiled and repressed
6. Hygiene - North Sumatran farmers produce gambier more hygienically compared to the west Sumatran farmers
7. Adulteration - North Sumatra consider gambier as a food and does not adulterate, while in West Sumatra its not the case

........ need more information please write to us,,,,,

lumping up problems

Lumping of gambier is a killer problem,,,

Gambier has a tendency to absorb moisture. Even your Gambier is dry enough it absorbs moisture from the surroundings. If gambier has moisture it tends to stick each other forming lumps.

The chemistry behind it is,, the Gambier is having catechin, the catechin gets oxidized when it is in contact with water and form cutch ( cutch is complex tannin). This cutch is like black in colour and will easily stick each other.

If Gambier is lumped then the catechin percentage will drop drastically

The main causes of lumping are

1. improper drying
2. improper storage
3. improper transportation
4. climate change

Precautions to  be taken for not lumping are

·         If the Gambier is dried to 14% moisture we can reduce the chances of lumping. Like we say “poison is not required in bulk,, only a single drop can destroy the whole" likewise while drying Gambier ensure all the pieces are properly dried. If a single piece of Gambier is not properly dried then it can spoil the whole lot. Sun drying is preferred as it allows uniform drying.

·         Gambier must be stored in gunny bags with inner PP. After drying the Gambier must be kept in open to see that it is gaining moisture from the atmosphere or not before packing. The materials must not be poured directly on the ground as it can absorb moisture from the floor. Always store Gambier in wooden pallets and never store wet Gambier in plastic bags.

·         Never transport your Gambier cargo on rainy days. On rainy days the normal atmospheric humidity will be high and there are chances that Gambier can absorb moisture. Always prepare your truck/container with Kraft paper and with sufficient humidity absorbents like silica gel.

·         Climate is also a great factor, if you are transporting your cargo from a tropic climate to a cold/rainy climate. The chances of moisture getting in will be high. 

·         Please also take a note that your Gambier containers will be exposed to drastic climate changes in high seas, (cold nights, hot noon and rainy evenings). Always ensure that you have properly ventilated and no leak containers for transportation.

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