PT HI Cloud Inovasi Natural or also known as start-up HI Cloud Viral has organised a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) which discusses the business opportunities of the innovative product produced, the hand soap gel of acem-acem leaf extract (Oxalis dehradunensis Raizada) with the name Clodesis.

The discussion was attended by stakeholders from five city districts, including Medan City, Binjai City, Langkat Regency, Karo Regency and Deli Serdang Regency, as well as BPPOM, lecturers and students. The agencies present were from the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture and Department of Industry and Trade, alongside with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) of Medan City. The products offered have been researched since 2018 and are ongoing until now.

Currently, the HI Cloud Viral start-up pioneered by Dr Eka Lestari Mahyuni, SKM., M.Kes, from the Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Sumatera Utara, will produce hand washing soap containing acem-acem leaf extract, which is able to clean off chemical exposure. The potential of acem-acem leaves that were explored, researched and studied by Dr Eka Lestari Mahyuni, SKM, M.Kes interests PT Stara Bintang Surya to cooperate and collaborate in the production of acem acem leaf extract gel hand soap with brand name Clodesis, which was established from the Matching Fund program. The programme brings together Higher Education personnel from Higher Education with DUDI (Dunia Usaha Dunia Industri) partners through the Kedaireka platform in 2022.

The research began in 2016 with Dr Eka Lestari Mahyuni, SKM, M.Kes's interest in Karo farmers' handwashing habits. This was also done while empowering farmers to reduce pesticide exposure. Dr Eka explained that the natural ingredients used in the product are found in Tanah Karo.

"Acem-acem leaves, which Karo farmers usually use to clean their hands after spraying pesticides or other field activities, inspired me to further study the properties of these leaves. Phytochemical tests in the laboratory showed that the leaves have a very high saponin content, which is evident from the natural froth that we can see from the natural use by farmers.

This saponin content is utilised and used as a soap for hand washing since, generally, in agricultural fields, water and soap are not available. However, chemical exposure requires farmers to improve personal hygiene to avoid the risk of poisoning from chemical exposure, such as pesticides, chemical fertilisers, etc. Therefore, these leaves are then extracted and made into a gel-based hand washing product so that it can be packaged in a simple, easy-to-carry package, and helps improve the personal hygiene of the community through the 'Washing Hands with Acem-acem' (CTPAc) programme," said Dr Eka.

The FGD was held at the Senate Room, 3rd Floor, USU Central Bureau of Administration, where the Head of the Trade Office, H Dammikrot Harahap, SSos, M.Si, served as a guest speaker. He appealed to HI Cloud start-ups as newly pioneered Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to pay attention to product availability, quality, legality and packaging, as well as introducing products to online and offline markets that are widely spread in Medan. He said that the Trade Office has also opened an MSME workshop programme, so it is ready to assist and support start-ups or existing MSMEs. 

The Head of the Trade Department also reminded that no matter how good the products are, marketing is an important point that needs to be considered. Most of the time, this is the weakness of each MSME. In addition, the availability of goods must always be available, which of course, is related to the raw materials used as extracts in hand soap gel. In addition, the product's legality also needs to be taken care of because the more legality there is, the higher the public trust in the products offered by HI Cloud Viral start-ups.

The Head of the Industry and Trade Office of Deli Serdang Regency, Tengku Zaki, was also present and showed his interest in acem-acem leaves which is the product of Clodesis. Tengku Zaki hopes that product development can be carried out in Deli Serdang Regency because from the Pancur Batu to Kutalimbaru areas, the same type of leaf can also be found, although not as much as in Tanah Karo Regency. According to him, it is necessary to establish cooperation with the HI Cloud Viral start-up in socialising with farmers in Deli Serdang, as well as marketing the Clodesis product as a whole.

The discussion at the FGD also focused on the product distribution permit, which was commented on and clarified by the representative of BPOM, Tengku Awaluddin. He expressed his enthusiasm and appreciation for the HI Cloud Viral start-up, which has leapt further than other MSMEs because it has collaborated with PT Stara Bintang Surya as the manufacturer of Clodesis. The innovation offered in Clodesis is also relatively new. It has yet to be included in the BPPOM standardisation list so that the registration process can be directly transferred to the Central BPOM. Of course, there is a fulfilment of conditions from the results of testing the efficacy of acem-acem leaves so that the distribution permit from Clodesis can be issued.

This giant leap is expected to proceed better. BPOM supports processing the registration and certification that the HI Cloud Viral start-up has processed because it still requires a study from the Standardisation Directorate, which is currently in process. He added that further development of the efficacy of acem-acem leaf extract will be made in other products, such as pesticide-cleaning soap on fruits and vegetables.

"The material used is very good and relatively new, so the registration process requires standardisation directly carried out by the Central BPPOM because this leaf is not yet on the list of standardised cosmetic ingredients. But I am interested in the pesticide-removing ability of these leaves and can develop the product into fruit and vegetable washing soap. That might be more interesting because so far, there has never been a soap that can reduce chemical exposure to fruits and vegetables. Of course, more studies need to be done in the future, especially on the safety of the extracts used," said Tengku Awaluddin.

The FGD created opportunities and challenges for HI Cloud Viral start-ups and the programmes that were developed were very good so that the four city districts in North Sumatra invited on this occasion could recognise the local potential that could be developed into valuable products. Not only does it improve the economy and welfare of the community, but it can also support public health programmes following the tagline of the new HI Cloud Viral start-up that utilises natural ingredients.