Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - University of Lambung Mangkurat (ULM) started construction of Teaching Industry building to manufacture pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia) effervescent tablet in Mathematics and Natural Sciences Faculty (FMIPA) Banjarbaru.
"Thank God I am grateful that the construction of the building can begin and it is expected to be the forerunner to the development of the campus towards entrepreneur university," said ULM Rector Prof. Dr. H. Sutarto Hadi, Tuesday.
In the future, Sutarto said, universities are not only doing research whose results are published. But there are products can be developed that ultimately can improve the welfare of the community at large, including lecturers and students themselves.
"Later, after this factory, ULM can produce mass effervescent tablets of Pasak Bumi Borneo and Tanah Bumbu Regent Mardani H Maming has prepared 5,000 hectares of land in his area for planting pegs to keep the availability of raw materials," said Sutarto.
As is known, the two main proponents of the factory development are the Directorate General of Innovation Reinforcement of Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti) with grants worth of Rp1.5 billion in 2018 and multi-year to help industrial equipment, and Haji Maming 69 Foundation owned by Tanah Bumbu Regent Mardani H Maming who contributed Rp900 million for initial construction of the building.
"We are very grateful to Mr. Mardani H Maming for his commitment to assist the progress of ULM which is essentially for the progress of South Kalimantan and finally for the prosperity of people of South Kalimantan," explained Sutarto.
Director of Industrial Innovation Directorate General of Innovation Reinforcement Ir Santoso Yudo Warsono said the development of Teaching Industry is a step forward and strategic of ULM to develop local natural resources in Kalimantan.
"The government hopes that the pasak bumi root of Kalimantan Island's unique earth in the future can be a famous herbal product in Indonesia as well as ginseng from South Korea," he said.
Borneo pasak bumi Effervescent is the innovative results of FMIPA ULM lecturer, Heri Budi Santoso, Liling Triyasmono, Totok Wianto, Khoerul Anwar and Mia Fitriana in 2017. The effervescent marketing under the trademark of Borneo will be assisted by PT Kimia Farma, with profit sharing.
