"We are committed to developing a national center of excellence for gambier research," UNAND Rector Efa Yonnedi said during the university’s fourth graduation ceremony in Padang on Sunday.
Indonesia supplies 80–90 percent of the world’s gambier, with most sourced from Limapuluh Kota and Tanah Datar regencies in West Sumatra. Leveraging this dominant role, UNAND is expanding its research and commercialization efforts.
UNAND researchers have developed several downstream gambier-based products. Notably, the university produced the red-and-white election ink used in Indonesia’s 2024 general elections, supplying roughly one million bottles to polling stations nationwide.
Another innovation is an anti-dandruff shampoo derived from gambier, which has already reached the commercial market.
UNAND currently holds 65 patents related to gambier, highlighting both the university’s innovation capacity and the commodity’s potential for value-added processing.
During a guest lecture at UNAND on September 16, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman urged West Sumatra’s governor and regional leaders to accelerate gambier downstreaming to stabilize prices, which often fluctuate on the international market.
The Agriculture Ministry plans to build a processing plant in West Sumatra to add value to raw gambier and support local farmers.
“This is a concrete step to strengthen the downstream sector and improve farmers' livelihoods,” Minister Sulaiman said.
He also encouraged the governor and Limapuluh Kota District officials to visit China to study world-class processing technologies that could be applied in Indonesia.
UNAND’s efforts align with its broader “impactful campus” vision, focusing on research that benefits local communities and strengthens the national economy through innovation.
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Translator: M.Zulfikar, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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