I. Ginger Production in Indonesia
Ginger(Zingiber officinale Roscoe) rhizome, known as Jahe in Indonesia, has been utilized in this country since ancient times. Ginger is essential in Indonesian cuisine, as a spice and also for its medicinal value. It’s widely available and you can buy the rhizome in any supermarket or vegetable sellers in the street. In Indonesia gingers are generally grown at an altitude of 200-600 m above sea level. The growing area is mostly in Java and Sumatra. Indonesia ranked as 6th top ginger producers in 2012, with 5% of the global production, producing 113,851 MT of ginger. Indonesian ginger is exported to the United States, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

II. Big Ginger, Small Ginger and Red Ginger
In Indonesia, based on shape, size and color, gingers are categorized into three types, i.e. big ginger (Zingiber officinale var. officinale), small ginger(Zingiber officinale var. amarum) and red ginger (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum).
2.1 Big ginger is also called giant ginger, elephant ginger(jahe gajah), and rhino ginger. It has a bigger, fatter and more inflated rhizome with less fibrous compared to the other two varieties. The flesh is yellow or light yellow. Big ginger can be consumed both young and old, both as fresh ginger or developed ginger product. The essential oil content is the lowest and the flavor is not so spicy. Most of the ginger exported by Indonesia are the big ginger.
2.2 Small ginger(jahe emprit) has smaller rhizome size, slightly flattened shape and more fiber than elephant ginger. Small ginger is always harvested at old age. Its essential oil content is greater than the elephant ginger and it is more spicy. This ginger is suitable for herbs or for essential oil and oleoresin extraction.
2.3 Red ginger(jahe merah) has the smallest rhizome size, more fibrous with red skin color. The ginger is generally harvested in the range of 8-12 months. It has a high content of essential oil and most spicy flavor, making it suitable for ginger oil and herbal medicine.
Ginger is exported in the form of fresh ginger, pickled (big ginger), dried ginger (big, small and red ginger), and ginger essential oil from the small and red ginger.

III. Ginger Consumption in Indonesia
Ginger is so widely used in Indonesian cuisine that it is rather odd for a dish to be cooked without ginger. Recipes will usually call for the fresh grated root. The fresh rhizome can also be thinly sliced and then dried for use. As dried slice, it can be thrown directly into soups and teas, or rehydrated in hot water for 30 minutes before grinding or chopping. Besides, there are also many ginger products, such as ginger candy, ginger tea, ginger bread, ginger oil and herbal products, ginger ale, etc. Indonesian commonly use ginger in coffee drinks to ward off colds and fevers. Most restaurants offer a sizable list of coffee-ginger drink options.

IV. Ginger Products in Indonesia Market
4.1 Ginger Candy
Indonesian candy makers produce multiple varieties of ginger candy with different flavors. Many people travel with ginger candy to ward off travel sickness, as it is believed to settle the stomach and thus aid in digestion. There are some famous brands such as Ting Ting Jahe manufactured by PT Sindu Amritha, Gin Gins made by The Ginger People, and Chimes Ginger Chews produced by Roxy Trading.
4.2 Ginger Tea
Wedang Jahe is a type of tea made from ginger and palm sugar, frequently flavored with pandan leaves. Wedang in Javanese means “beverages” while Jahe in Bahasa Indonesia means “ginger”. Wedang Jahe is very popular in Indonesia. It warms the body and believed to have a remedy of expelling a cold. At spa and beauty salons in Indonesia, Wedang Jahe is served to top off the customers’ relaxation rituals. The aroma can soothe your nerves and calm your mind.
4.3 Ginger Oil
Ginger oil is obtained by steam distillation or hydro distillation of the roots of Zingiber officianale. Ginger rhizomes are collected, sliced and cut into small pieces before sent for distillation. Some farmers also do steam distillation of dried rhizomes. Ginger oil is a small volume product and the yield is 5-10 tons per annum.
Ginger essential oil is used in a wide spread of industries such as perfumery, cosmetic, flavoring, fragrance, and pharmacy. It is largely exported to USA, Singapore, Germany, India and South Africa, with the largest importers are USA.

V. Ginger Processing in Indonesia
5.1 Ginger Sorting
Impurities such as soil, crop residue and weeds are separated from the rhizomes.
5.2 Ginger Washing
The rhizomes are washed with high-pressure water sprayed, or washed by hand. Ginger spray washing machine adopts high-pressure water flow for washing ginger, having great cleaning capacity with high impurities reduction efficiency. The water brings impurities to the filter layer, and the water then enters into water filtering tank for recycle use.
Industrial ginger washer for Indonesia ginger processing
5.3 Ginger Slicing
To produce dried ginger, it is necessary to slice the rhizomes to a certain thickness. Slicing can be done with ginger slicing machine. It’s a simple machine that is easy to operate with high efficiency. The finished slices have uniform thickness and the thickness can be adjusted.
5.4 Ginger Drying
Drying can be done by sunlight or in an oven. Sun drying is done on a mat or other materials for several days until the moisture content is below 8%. During drying process, the rhizomes must be turned periodically so that the drying is evenly.
By drying in the hot air drying oven, the rhizomes are placed on the oven tray and dried with circulated air in the fully closed drying oven. This is efficient and clean. Equipped with adjustable air divider plate inside the oven, materials can be dried evenly.
5.5 Ginger Packaging
Dried ginger can be packed in airtight plastic bag with vacuum packing machine. This machine can be equipped with a printer to print shelf life, serial number etc on the seal place.
5.6 Ginger Storage
The warehouse should have good ventilation and remain sanitation, with low ambient temperatures and avoid moisture.
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