In Central Java's Cilacap and Banyumas regencies, more than 15,000 workers involved in the cottage industry of jamu (a traditional herbal medicine) manufacturing have been rendered jobless as the majority of producers have gone out of business.
Hundreds of small and medium scale jamu producers have gone bankrupt since some of them mixed their products with harmful chemical. The additives attracted the attention of the authorities and the factories became the subject of frequent raids.
"How can we go on when we're constantly chased by the police and health officers. We'd rather go out of business than become the target of extortion," said Surahmanto, 35, a former jamu entrepreneur from Kroya, Cilacap. His family owned business once employed 200 local workers.
"We eventually decided to stop producing jamu and move in to another line of business," he said, adding that he and his family are currently managing a number of gas stations in Banyumas, Magelang and Yogyakarta.
He acknowledged that virtually all jamu producers adulterate their products with chemical substances.
Yahya Karomi, 36, leader of the Aneka Sari Jamu Cooperative, told The Jakarta Post that just 5,000 of the 22,000 workers once employed in the industry remain today.
"The number of unemployed is rising, given the number of jamu producers closing down. The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and the police shouldn't have been so harsh with the raids because whatever it may seem this activity minimized unemployment," said Yahya.
He acknowledged that many dishonest local jamu producers mix chemical substances to their products.
"However, we don't turn a blind eye to them, we supervise and often conduct quality checks. But after they closed, we can no longer direct them," said Yahya.
He added jamu producers in Cilacap had closed their businesses gradually, in stages.
"The biggest wave of closures started in 2006 and lasted until now. Only a small number of them still survive, those that we have strictly forbidden from using chemicals at all," Yahya said.
On Nov. 18 the Banyumas Health Agency confiscated jamu believed to contain chemicals. The investigation focused on a particular jamu, marketed as a men's virility supplement, which is widespread on the market.
"We must protect consumers, and we will not tolerate hazardous jamu," Wijayanti, head of the food, drink and health supplies pharmacy division at the Banyumas Health Office told reporters in Purwokerto after the raid.
As was reported earlier, the central BPOM issued a public warning about jamu containing potent substances, such as sildenafil citrate and tadalafil.
In a release dated Nov. 14, 22 brands of sexual enhancement jamu, including the Cobra-X and Urat Perkasa capsules produced by PJ Ragil Sentosa and PJ Sm Jaya Jamu in Cilacap contained the chemicals.
In the statement, local BPOM chapter head Husniah Rubiana said tadalafil enlarges the artery and lowers blood pressure so much that oxygen and blood supplies to the heart muscles drop, causing chest pains that can lead to stroke.
Hundreds of jamu producers in Cilacap are still producing the adulterated jamu, which has been banned by the BPOM.
Some of them operate covertly, or produce them outside the area to avoid raids.
Jamu is produced mostly to treat stiff muscles and enhance sexual stimulation; 99 percent of the products are marketed outside Java.
"Selling it here is too risky. Most of the jamu produced here is sold outside Java, a large portion goes to Sumatra and Kalimantan, usually the remote areas," Satrio, a former jamu worker in Kroya, Cilacap, whose workplace has closed, said.
