RI Punya 'Narkotika' Baru, Jadi Incaran Dunia & Laku Miliaran
Foto: Tanaman Kratom. (Dok. Detikcom/Rachman)
- Pemerintah Indonesia berencana menggenjot ekspor tanaman herbal daun kratom. Di sisi lain, tanaman herbal ini diwacanakan masuk dalam kelompok narkotika golongan I.
Mengutip situs resmi Badan Narkotika Nasional (BNN) Sumatera Selatan, Kratom adalah tanaman yang tumbuh di Asia Tenggara. Di Indonesia, tanaman ini jadi tumbuhan endemik yang tumbuh di sejumlah wilayah di Kalimantan. Disebutkan, BNN RI juga telah menetapkan Kratom sebagai New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) di Indonesia dan merekomendasikan Kratom untuk dimasukkan ke dalam narkotika golongan I dalam Undang-undang Nomor 35 Tahun 2009 tentang Narkotika.
Disebutkan, penggolongan ini didasarkan pada efek Kratom yang berpotensi menimbulkan ketergantungan dan sangat berbahaya bagi kesehatan, 13 kali lebih berbahaya dari morfin. Meski demikian, BNN menyatakan sampai dengan saat ini Kratom masih belum diatur dalam Undang-undang Narkotika, sehingga regulasi pemerintah daerah pun belum bisa membatasi penggunaan Kratom tersebut.
Di sisi lain, nilai ekspor kratom disebut-sebut fantastis dan disebut-sebut memberi keuntungan besar bagi Indonesia. Maka tak heran tanaman ini justru banyak diincar dunia untuk kebutuhan farmasi dan kedokteran.
Ini juga yang menjadi alasan Menteri Perdagangan (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) merestui dan siap menggenjot ekspor kratom.
"Kemarin ada produk tumbuhan kratom. Orang AS datang, kami mau beli ini (Kratom), (mereka tanya) bisa nggak? bisa saja. Kan belum dilarang," kata Zulhas dalam sambutannya di Kantor Kementerian Perdagangan (Kemendag) Jakarta, Kamis (31/8/2023).
Zulhas mengaku tidak peduli apabila penggunaan dari tanaman kratom itu nantinya disalahgunakan. Yang terpenting, menurutnya, petani Indonesia bisa diuntungkan dari adanya ekspor Kratom ke AS.
"Kalau penggunaannya salah kan bukan kita yang salah, yang sana, yang penting petani dapat dollar, senang, makmur enggak apa-apa," ujarnya.
Zulhas mengatakan, kalaupun nantinya ada permintaan tumbuhan Kratom dari negara lain, Indonesia siap memasok. Sebab, aturan ataupun pelarangannya belum ditetapkan. "Saya setuju saja kalau ada yang mau ekspor, capitalnya kan bisa panen dollar kan. Nanti terima kasih sama Mendag. Kalau nanti ada yang sakit bukan urusan kita. Katanya buat obat kenapa dimakan," tukasnya.
Foto: Tanaman Kratom. (Dok. sumsel.bnn)
Tanaman Kratom. (Dok. sumsel.bnn)
Lantas, kapan realisasi ekspor kratom dilakukan?
Direktur Jenderal Pengembangan Ekspor Nasional (Dirjen PEN) Kemendag Didi Sumedi mengatakan, pihaknya masih akan tetap menunggu hasil kajian terkait potensi dan substansi tanaman itu, sementara dari sisi sumber daya alam (SDA), Kratom di Indonesia memang cukup berlimpah.
"Ya kalau dari sumber daya alamnya sih kita banyak, tapi kan ini sedang digali masalah substansi-nya. Substansi kratom sendiri, apakah dia memang termasuk golongan yang dikatakan ada mengandung psikotropika, tapi kan masih dalam kajian, ini belum selesai," kata Didi saat ditemui wartawan di Kantor Kementerian Perdagangan, Jumat (1/9/2023).
Didi mengatakan, pihaknya baru akan mengeluarkan izin ekspor apabila daun Kratom tersebut sudah mendapatkan izin dari Kementerian/Lembaga terkait.
Di sisi lain, Didi mengatakan, potensi ekonomi yang dapat dihasilkan dari ekspor daun Kratom lumayan besar, ditambah SDA di dalam negeri yang berlimpah dan permintaan pasar yang tinggi membuat pemerintah yakin untuk mendorong ekspor dari tanaman herbal ini.
"Itu lumayan besar ya potensi ekonomi nya. Dari sisi SDA kita cukup banyak, terutama di Kalimantan. Pasarnya juga terbuka ya, Amerika Serikat yang paling besar," ujarnya.
Meski tanaman herbal ini belum diatur dan belum masuk ke dalam list yang diatur oleh Kemendag, jika merujuk pada data BPS, kegiatan ekspor kratom sendiri telah berjalan dan masih dilakukan oleh para eksportir kratom.
Melansir data BPS yang diolah Kemendag, nilai ekspor kratom dengan HS 12119099 Indonesia sempat turun dari US$ 16,23 juta pada 2018 menjadi US$ 9,95 juta pada 2019. Kemudian, kembali meningkat lagi nilai ekspor kratom pada 2020, yakni US$ 13,16 juta dan terus menunjukkan tren meningkat hingga 2022.
Kinerja ekspor yang positif ini terus berlanjut pada 2023. Tercatat sepanjang Januari-Mei 2023, nilai ekspor kratom Indonesia tumbuh 52,04% menjadi US$ 7,33 juta atau sekitar Rp 114,3 miliar (kurs Rp 15.600).
Sementara itu, secara volume, sejak 2018 hingga 2021 selalu mengalami penurunan dengan tren pelemahan sebesar -14,81%. Lalu pada 2022, volume ekspor kratom mengalami pertumbuhan signifikan sebesar 87,90% menjadi 8.210 ton.
Pertumbuhan yang positif itu berlanjut pada periode Januari-Mei 2023 dengan nilai pertumbuhan sebesar 51,49%, jika dibandingkan dengan periode yang sama pada 2022.
Kemudian, jika melihat negara tujuan utama ekspor kratom Indonesia, Amerika Serikat menempati urutan pertama pada periode Januari-Mei 2023, yakni sebesar US$ 4,86 juta, diikuti Jerman US$ 0,61 juta, India US$ 0,44 juta, dan Republic Czech US$ 0,39 juta.
Namun demikian, Kepala Pusat Karantina Tumbuhan dan Keamanan Hayati Nabati Adnan menegaskan dalam keputusan terakhir harus ada Surat Keputusan Bersama (SKB) 3 kementerian terkait kratom, yaitu KSP, BNN, dan Kemenkes. Badan Karantina sendiri menegaskan ekspor kratom harusnya tak diperbolehkan dulu, menunggu keputusan hasil kajian yang dilakukan Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN).
"Kami berpatokan ke surat SKB itu hasil keputusan rapat terakhir. Belum boleh (ekspor kratom) sebenarnya, belum boleh kalau saya katakan. Tetapi intinya kalau besok ada perintah kalau itu (boleh) kita tidak ada masalah. Intinya seperti itu, ini memang hasil BRIN yang kita perlu menunggu lagi sejenak untuk itu," tegas Adnan saat ditemui di Hotel JS Luwansa Jakarta, Jumat malam (20/10/2023).
Sikap BNN
Sementara itu, Kepala Badan Narkotika Nasional (BNN) Irjen Marthinus Hukom mengatakan peredaran tanaman herbal itu akan dilarang jika memang terbukti menyalahi aturan perundang-undangan. "Ya saya lihat kepada Undang-Undang saja, kalau Undang-Undang melarang ya kita larang," kata Marthinus, saat ditanya wartawan, usai pelantikannya di Istana Kepresidenan, Jumat (8/12/2023).
Ia menjelaskan saat ini masih mempelajari tanaman herbal yang mengandung zat adiktif itu. Dimana kajian akan dikoordinasikan dengan Kementerian Kesehatan dan stakeholder terkait lainnya. "Ya saya harus pelajari dulu ya, karena saya bukan ahli kimia, bukan ahli tentang kesehatan. kita perlu koordinasi dengan Menteri Kesehatan, dan kebijakan pemerintah apa itu yang kita ikuti," katanya.
Menanggapi soal tanaman herbal kratom yang sudah diekspor ke beberapa negara, salah satunya Amerika Serikat dengan nilai US$ 7,33 juta atau sekitar Rp 114,4 miliar, Marthinus belum mengharamkan tanaman ini, ia menekankan pihaknya masih menunggu hasil kajian lebih lanjut. Namun jika banyak efek yang merugikan maka tentunya untuk apa dilakukan ekspor.
Ia pun belum mengerti persis pengaruhnya tanaman ini terhadap tubuh manusia. "Kalau memang lebih banyak manfaatnya itu pertimbangan hukumnya apa, pertimbangan etisnya apa. Tapi kalau lebih banyak mudaratnya atau daya rusaknya untuk apa kita lakukan? (ekspor)," tegasnya.
Klaim Pengusaha
Sementara dari sisi pengusaha kratom yang tergabung dalam Perkumpulan Pengusaha Kratom Indonesia (Pekrindo), telah mendesak pemerintah untuk segera membuka lebar-lebar peluang ekspor kratom. Apalagi, menurut Pekrindo, kratom bisa menghasilkan keuntungan melebihi sawit bagi petaninya karena modal yang dibutuhkan lebih sedikit.
Ketua Pekrindo Yosef mengatakan, dengan modal menanam kratom senilai Rp15 juta per hektare (ha), hasilnya akan mendapatkan keuntungan hingga Rp25 juta. Ia merinci, dalam satu hektare lahan bisa ditanami sekitar 2.500 batang, dan diasumsikan satu pohon dapat menghasilkan rata-rata 2 kilogram (kg) daun kratom sekali panen.
"Kalau misalkan per pohon 2 kg, dalam jumlah 2.500 batang panen pertama 5 ribu kg (atau) 5 ton, dikali Rp5.000 per kg daun basah, itu satu bulan bisa meraup untung Rp25 juta," kata Yosef dalam audiensi bersama Komisi IV DPR RI, Senin (4/12/2023).
Yosef pun membandingkan dengan modal bertanam kelapa sawit yang sebesar Rp60 juta per ha.
"Sawit itu kurang lebih (modalnya) Rp4,5 juta per bulan per 1 hektare dengan estimasi 2-3 ton per hektare, (harga sawit) kurang lebih Rp1.000, Rp1.300 sampai Rp1.500 per kg," tukasnya.
Sementara itu, Dedi menegaskan, pihaknya tetap akan fokus melakukan penataan dengan mempertimbangkan pengendalian penggunaan juga perdagangan kratom.
"Kalau pak Menteri (Menteri Perdagangan) sih arahnya ingin mengendalikan saja, jadi betul-betul tertata. Mengendalikan tuh banyak tujuannya, selain untuk penggunaannya, tapi juga untuk menata jangan sampai kalau bebas yang terjadi seperti (tanaman umbi) porang, akhirnya harga jadi jatuh," kata Didi saat ditemui di kesempatan lain.
Didi menjelaskan, apabila perdagangan dari Kratom tidak diatur, maka akan berdampak kepada jatuhnya nilai atau value dari kratom itu sendiri, sehingga perlu ada sedikit pengendalian agar harganya bisa tetap terjaga dengan baik.
"Karena orang kalau kebuka semua berlomba akan pindah kesana, dan harga biasanya jatuh kalau terlalu banyak produksinya," pungkas Didi.
RI Has a New 'Narcotics', Becomes Target of the World & Sells for Billions
Photo: Kratom Plant. (Doc. Detikcom/Rachman)
- The Indonesian government plans to boost exports of the herbal plant kratom leaves. On the other hand, this herbal plant is considered to be included in the Class I narcotics group.
Quoting the official website of the South Sumatra National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Kratom is a plant that grows in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, this plant is an endemic plant that grows in a number of areas in Kalimantan. It was stated that BNN RI had also designated Kratom as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in Indonesia and recommended Kratom to be included in class I narcotics in Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics.
It is stated that this classification is based on the effects of Kratom which has the potential to cause dependence and is very dangerous for health, 13 times more dangerous than morphine. However, BNN stated that up to now Kratom is still not regulated in the Narcotics Law, so regional government regulations cannot yet limit the use of Kratom.
On the other hand, the export value of kratom is said to be fantastic and is said to provide huge profits for Indonesia. So it is not surprising that this plant is much sought after worldwide for pharmaceutical and medical needs.
This is also the reason why the Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) approves and is ready to boost kratom exports.
"Yesterday there was a kratom plant product. US people came, we wanted to buy this (Kratom), (they asked) could it be done or not? It's possible. It's not banned yet," said Zulhas in his speech at the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) Jakarta, Thursday (31 /8/2023).
Zulhas admitted that he doesn't care if the use of the kratom plant is misused. Most importantly, according to him, Indonesian farmers can benefit from Kratom exports to the US.
"If it's used incorrectly, it's not our fault, what's the same, the important thing is that farmers get dollars, are happy, prosperous, that's okay," he said.
Zulhas said that even if there is demand for Kratom plants from other countries, Indonesia is ready to supply it. Because the rules or prohibitions have not been determined. "I just agree that if someone wants to export, the capital can be harvested in dollars, right? Thank you to the Minister of Trade later. If someone gets sick, it's none of our business. "They said it's for medicine, why eat it," he said.
Photo: Kratom Plant. (Doc. sumsel.bnn)
Kratom Plant. (Doc. sumsel.bnn)
So, when will kratom exports be realized?
Director General of National Export Development (Dirjen PEN) of the Ministry of Trade, Didi Sumedi, said that his party would still wait for the results of the study regarding the potential and substance of the plant, while in terms of natural resources (SDA), Kratom in Indonesia is quite abundant.
"Yes, we have a lot of natural resources, but the substance issue is currently being explored. "The kratom substance itself, is it really in the group that is said to contain psychotropic substances, but it is still under study, this is not finished yet," said Didi when met by journalists at the Ministry of Trade Office, Friday (1/9/2023).
Didi said that his party would only issue an export permit if the Kratom leaves had received permission from the relevant Ministry/Institution.
On the other hand, Didi said, the economic potential that can be generated from the export of Kratom leaves is quite large, plus abundant domestic natural resources and high market demand make the government confident in encouraging exports of this herbal plant.
"The economic potential is quite large. In terms of natural resources, we have quite a lot of it, especially in Kalimantan. The market is also open, the United States is the biggest," he said.
Even though this herbal plant has not been regulated and has not been included in the list regulated by the Ministry of Trade, if we refer to BPS data, kratom export activities have been running and are still being carried out by kratom exporters.
According to BPS data processed by the Ministry of Trade, the export value of kratom with HS 12119099 in Indonesia fell from US$ 16.23 million in 2018 to US$ 9.95 million in 2019. Then, the value of kratom exports increased again in 2020, namely US$ 13 .16 million and continues to show an increasing trend until 2022.
This positive export performance will continue in 2023. During January-May 2023, the value of Indonesian kratom exports grew 52.04% to US$ 7.33 million or around Rp. 114.3 billion (exchange rate Rp. 15,600).
Meanwhile, in terms of volume, from 2018 to 2021 there has always been a decline with a weakening trend of -14.81%. Then in 2022, the volume of kratom exports will experience significant growth of 87.90% to 8,210 tons.
This positive growth continued in the January-May 2023 period with a growth value of 51.49%, when compared to the same period in 2022.
Then, if you look at the main destination countries for Indonesian kratom exports, the United States ranks first in the January-May 2023 period, namely US$ 4.86 million, followed by Germany at US$ 0.61 million, India at US$ 0.44 million, and Czech Republic US$ 0.39 million.
However, the Head of the Center for Plant Quarantine and Biosecurity, Adnan, emphasized that in the final decision there must be a Joint Decree (SKB) from 3 ministries related to kratom, namely KSP, BNN and the Ministry of Health. The Quarantine Agency itself emphasized that kratom exports should not be allowed yet, waiting for a decision on the results of a study conducted by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
"We are referring to the SKB letter which was the result of the decision of the last meeting. Actually it is not allowed (kratom exports), not yet if I say so. But the point is that if tomorrow there is an order that (it is allowed) we will have no problem. "The point is like that, this is indeed a BRIN result that we need to wait a moment for," said Adnan when met at the JS Luwansa Hotel, Jakarta, Friday evening (20/10/2023).
BNN's attitude
Meanwhile, the Head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Inspector General Marthinus Hukom, said that the distribution of herbal plants would be prohibited if it was proven to violate statutory regulations. "Yes, I just look at the law, if the law prohibits it, we prohibit it," said Marthinus, when asked by journalists, after his inauguration at the Presidential Palace, Friday (8/12/2023).
He explained that he is currently still studying herbal plants that contain addictive substances. Where the study will be coordinated with the Ministry of Health and other relevant stakeholders. "Yes, I have to study it first, because I'm not a chemist, not a health expert. "We need to coordinate with the Minister of Health, and what government policies we are following," he said.
Responding to the issue of the kratom herbal plant which has been exported to several countries, one of which is the United States with a value of US$ 7.33 million or around Rp. 114.4 billion, Marthinus has not banned this plant, he emphasized that his party is still waiting for the results of further studies. However, if there are many detrimental effects then of course why export?
He also doesn't yet understand the exact effect this plant has on the human body. "If there are more benefits, what are the legal considerations, what are the ethical considerations? But if there are more harm or damage, why should we do it? (export)," he stressed.
Employer Claims
Meanwhile, kratom entrepreneurs who are members of the Indonesian Kratom Entrepreneurs Association (Pekrindo) have urged the government to immediately open up kratom export opportunities. Moreover, according to Pekrindo, kratom can generate profits beyond palm oil for farmers because it requires less capital.
Chairman of Pekrindo Yosef said, with capital to plant kratom worth IDR 15 million per hectare (ha), the result would be a profit of up to IDR 25 million. He detailed that around 2,500 trees can be planted in one hectare of land, and it is assumed that one tree can produce an average of 2 kilograms (kg) of kratom leaves per harvest.
"For example, per tree it is 2 kg, in the amount of 2,500 stems the first harvest is 5 thousand kg (or) 5 tons, multiplied by IDR 5,000 per kg of wet leaves, that is a profit of IDR 25 million in one month," said Yosef in an audience with Commission IV DPR RI, Monday (4/12/2023).
Yosef also compared it with the capital for planting oil palm which was IDR 60 million per ha.
"Palm oil costs approximately IDR 4.5 million per month per 1 hectare with an estimate of 2-3 tonnes per hectare, (the price of palm oil) is approximately IDR 1,000, IDR 1,300 to IDR 1,500 per kg," he said.
Meanwhile, Dedi emphasized that his party will continue to focus on carrying out arrangements by considering controlling the use and trade of kratom.
"The Minister (Minister of Trade) is aiming to control it, so that it is really organized. "Controlling has many purposes, apart from its use, but also to regulate it so that if it is free, something like porang (tuber plants) ends up causing prices to fall," said Didi when met on another occasion.
Didi explained, if the trade in Kratom is not regulated, it will have an impact on the value of the kratom itself, so there needs to be a little control so that the price can be maintained properly.
"Because when it opens, people will all compete to move there, and prices usually fall if there is too much production," concluded Didi.