Ministry of Industry Targets Indonesian Fermentation Industry Potential to Reach Global Market

Deputy Minister of Industry (Wamenperin) Faisol Riza. Photo: Dok. Kemenperin

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) has started to encourage the development of the fermentation product industry based on local raw materials in line with the large global market opportunities. The wealth of Indonesian fermentation products is considered to have the potential to be developed into value-added and competitive industrial products in the international market.

Deputy Minister of Industry (Wamenperin) Faisol Riza said that Indonesia has a wealth of raw materials and product diversity that can become capital for the development of specialty and artisan industries, including fermented products.

According to him, the challenges faced by the national industry are not only how to utilize the wealth of natural resources, but also to process them into quality products, have a strong identity, and be able to provide higher economic value.

"We have a wealth of raw materials and product diversity that are the strength of the Indonesian industry. The challenge is that from this potential we process it into value-added products, quality, have a strong identity and are able to compete in the global market," said Faisol when opening Specialty Indonesia 2026 in Jakarta, Monday, August 10.

Faisol assessed that the development of the fermentation industry is one of the opportunities to expand local resource-based downstream processing. Indonesia is said to have a variety of fermentation products that are born from local wisdom and the use of domestic raw materials. However, its potential has not yet fully developed into an integrated national industrial ecosystem.

In fact, global market opportunities show promising trends. Based on Fortune Business Insights data, the fermented food market in 2025 reached 788.33 million US dollars and is projected to rise to 1.24 billion US dollars by 2034.

The potential opens up room for national industry players to develop various fermented products based on local raw materials. Development is not only aimed at meeting the domestic market, but also creating products with quality standards and identity that are able to compete in the global market.

"Therefore, we do not want Indonesian commodity wealth to be marketed only as raw materials. We want more products to be processed domestically, have strong brands, obtain higher added value and then be known by consumers around the world," he said.

To strengthen this potential, Specialty Indonesia 2026 presents the Indonesian Fermentation Forum Experience. The forum is a space to introduce the potential of Indonesian fermentation while encouraging the development of fermentation products from local heritage to become part of the modern industry.

The development of the fermentation industry is also in line with the Ministry of Industry's strategy in increasing the added value of natural resources through innovation, quality, design, packaging, branding, and marketing strategies.

In addition to fermentation, Specialty Indonesia 2026 also features various products based on local resources, such as coffee, tea, cocoa, horticulture, processed milk and cigars. These products are considered to have characteristics and advantages that can be developed into specialty products with higher economic value.

The Ministry of Industry considers that strengthening the ecosystem is important so that this potential does not stop at the production stage. Industry players need to connect with the market, prospective buyers, distribution networks to international business partners, so that product advantages can be converted into transactions and increased exports.

Meanwhile, the Acting Director General of the Agro Industry Ministry of Industry, Putu Juli Ardika, said that Specialty Indonesia 2026 was one of the government's efforts to open up business development opportunities while expanding market access for specialty products based on local raw materials.

"We hope that this event can open more collaborations between Indonesian specialty business actors and international business users such as hotels, restaurants, cafes and retailers, so that the brand image of our products is stronger and known in the global market," he said.

The Indonesia Specialty 2026 will take place on August 10-13, 2026 with a series of activities in the form of exhibitions, business matching, seminars, and competitions. A total of 48 curated companies participated in the exhibition, while 30 companies participated in business matching.

Through this activity, business actors are met with potential buyers from trade representatives of embassies of friendly countries as well as the hotel, restaurant, cafe and retail sectors. The Ministry of Industry hopes that business meetings do not stop at promotion, but can continue to become concrete transactions and partnerships.

The development of the fermentation industry is also expected to be part of the agenda for the downstreaming of national industries. By combining the wealth of local raw materials, innovation, standardization, technology and brand strengthening, Indonesian fermentation products have the opportunity to rise from locally based products to value-added industrial commodities that are able to penetrate the global market.