TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma officially exports its first raw cosmetic material, in the form of 31 tons of powder and lotion, to South Korea.

“Through the export of seven raw cosmetics materials to South Korea, it will generate US$ 1.5 million," said Director of Kimia Farma, Verdi Budidarmo, in an official statement received in Jakarta, on Wednesday, January 29, 2020.

Verdi said that the export of raw cosmetic materials is part of an initial phase carried out by the company in 2020, while the production of raw cosmetic materials itself, has been developed by Kimia Farma since 2018.

Throughout 2019, the pharmaceutical firm has been optimizing the production process of raw cosmetic materials through a transfer of technology, in a medicinal raw materials factory (BBO) in Cikarang. Within the transfer of technology, the company cooperated with a partner from South Korea that is known to be at the forefront of the cosmetics industry.

Although Kimia Farma has been developing the raw material industry since 2016 through the establishment of BBO production facilities, the company has just commercialized it today.

Verdi viewed that the marketing of the raw cosmetic material to South Korea as the world's trendsetter country of cosmetics is a catalyst to open up market opportunities for exports of raw cosmetics materials to other foreign countries.

“This is our entry gate to reach the raw material market going forward because Kimia Farma is also currently developing medicinal raw materials,” claimed Verdi.

Verdi went on to point out that, the current productional output of Kimia Farma’s BBO, is now being developed to become a finished good, with it set to be commercialized by the company by the second semester of the year.

However, in its early stages, the use of Kimia Farma's BBO output will instead be directed to meet domestic needs first. “The aim is to reduce the quantity of domestic BBO imports," he said.

ANTARA | DIO SUHENDA (Intern Translator)