Permasalahan Gambir (Uncaria gambir L.) di Sumatera Barat dan Alternatif Pemecahannya

Problem of gambir (Uncaria gambir) in West Sumatera and its their alternative solutionsGambir plant is a specific location commodity of West Sumatera. Gambir farming is obne of activities to increase farmers income. It is also an export commodity which contributes to local PDRB and increases export earnings. Around 80% of world demand is fulliled by West Sumatera Province with destiniation country : Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, France, and Switzerland. Demands for gambir have increased all the years, and during five years (2000-2004) export vlume increased 87.49% and export value increased 17.16%. Gambir is esed raw material for medicine, food, and textile industries, and also as sunlight proof color agent and for leather processing. The main problems of gambir are low producticvity and low quality resulted from inoptimal cultivation and post harvest processing technoloque. One step to value the problems is to identify the problems and to draw a program for research and development of gambir which are comprehensive, synergic, and sustainable. This program in solving the gambir problems in West Sumatera, and it is also important to avoid duplication in planning and implementation, and also for research evaluastion so that it can produce action program which is strategic and dynamic since pre-production to post-harvest and marketing.