Speaking about local commodities, especially products produced from forests, certainly cannot be separated from the role of Forest Farmer Groups (KTH). The role of these small groups is the spearhead of the community’s economy in remote villages. Like the Matuju Tuju Forest Farmers Group (KTH) of Oncone Raya Village, Tinombo Selatan District, Parigi Mountong Regency, Central Sulawesi. This group has succeeded in reviving the local economy by utilizing Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), namely processed palm sugar from nira trees that grow in the forest area around the village.

The group, which was formed in 2015 and consists of people who mostly depend on agricultural products, especially cocoa and rice, innovated by producing ant sugar which they processed into saraba (ginger) products after they were part of the Forestry Department in 2017, which first entered their village area to survey the potential for processing forest products in 2016. There was hesitation from the people of Oncone Village who are members of the Matuju Tuju Forest Farmers Group because they were worried about the entry of surveys from the Forestry Department. “At first we hesitated because we were worried that we would not be allowed to enter the forest and utilize forest products,” said Saka (39) Chairman of the Matuju Tuju Farmer Group. That doubt was not proven, as the group’s performance became more impactful to the 32 members of the Forestry Department, especially the economic impact. Initially the products produced were palm sugar and shell sugar, but because sales were considered less profitable, they innovated to make mini sugar products, namely shell sugar made into small pieces, but this product was also sluggish in sales. In 2019, training was held to make ant sugar which was processed into Instant Saraba or instant ginger with a production amount of up to 100 kilos per day and until now the product has become a mainstay and successful sales to reach market shares outside the region such as Palu, Makassar and even penetrated Malaysia. Marketing is done by utilizing online media and resellers.

Although the group has been successful in expanding its market share, there are still obstacles, especially in changing the mindset of people who are reluctant to make other innovations that support the progress of the group.