UKM Exports 4.8 Tons Of Tempe To Japan, Trade Minister Lutfi: Authentic Indonesian Food Is Getting Worldwide

Minister of Trade, M. Lutfi. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Trade)

JAKARTA - Tempe products processed by SMEs have been successfully exported for the first time to Japan. Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi said he was proud of the export. Because, traditional Indonesian food is increasingly global.

"The first export of Indonesian tempe products to Japan in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is very encouraging. This shows that authentic Indonesian food is becoming more global and proves that Indonesian exports continue to advance amid the pandemic," he said in Jakarta, Friday, June 18.

As is known, exporter PT Arumia Kharisma Indonesia (PT Arumia) with small and medium enterprises (UKM) Rumah Tempe Azaki made an initial export of 4.8 tons of tempeh products worth 13 thousand US dollars to Japan. The first export was released virtually by the Director General of National Export Development of the Ministry of Trade Didi Sumedi, Thursday, June 17.

With the success of SMEs in exporting, said Lutfi, it shows that now Indonesia has also produced product diversification that can be the choice of foreign buyers.

In addition, Lutfi also appreciated the company's collaboration with SMEs. In this case, the collaboration between PT Arumi and Rumah Tempe Azaki.

"This is a good example to move forward together and improve Indonesia's trade performance," he said.

Meanwhile, the Director General of National Export Development of the Ministry of Trade Didi Sumedi said that this first export was an important moment to increase the export value of Indonesian processed food products to the world.

Not only that, said Didi, this success is also expected to be a motivation for other potential SMEs to expand their market to foreign countries. In the future, according to him, we must try harder to develop new sectors that are able to generate added value for Indonesian exports.

"Through today's event, it is hoped that the export of processed food products will continue to grow in the coming years. The Ministry of Trade will also continue to support business actors to expand the market and increase the value of their exports," said Didi.

Furthermore, Didi explained that the first export of tempe to the Japanese market was adapting the product desired by the Japanese market.

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"Indonesian exporters have adjusted the shape, size, processing, and packaging as desired by the Japanese market. This product will later be imported by one of the largest wholesale supermarket chains in Japan, which has 800 outlets throughout Japan," he said.

Didi added that although it is a food producing country, Japan also imports a lot of food ingredients. As much as 60 percent of Japanese food consumption is imported products. So that when tempeh was asked to become a superfood native to Indonesia, consumption of tempeh began to grow in developed countries including Japan.

"The interesting thing is that the authentic taste of tempeh is maintained even though the tempeh fermentation process is carried out in Indonesia," he said.

Furthermore, Didi assessed that the import market for Japanese food products must continue to be encouraged to increase the market share of Indonesian food products, which only reached 1.3 percent of the total share of imported food products in Japan.

"Japanese consumers also like to try new food products, especially healthy food products. For that, Indonesia must be able to take advantage of this wide-open opportunity," he said.

In 2020, Indonesia's food product exports to the Japanese market amounted to 19.1 million US dollars or grew 16 percent compared to 2019. This rapid growth must continue to be increased in line with the trend of the Japanese market which is starting to look at quality products outside of China to meet market needs.

New Primadona

Director of Market Development and Export Information Hari Widodo said that the presence of Indonesian original tempeh is expected to be a new prima donna for the Japanese people through targeted promotions.

"We would like to thank the Indonesian trade representatives in Japan, both ITPC Osaka and the Trade Attaché who have bridged this initial export activity. This has contributed to the growth and improvement of the national economy amidst global economic pressures and the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Therefore, Hari invites Indonesian SMEs to continue to work together to improve the export performance of Indonesian food products to potential markets with high added value.

"The Ministry of Trade will continue to strive to boost the rate of exports of Indonesian non-oil and gas products to the global arena. In addition, the Ministry of Trade will continue to synergize with relevant ministries and institutions to resolve various obstacles to expanding their market," he explained.

The total trade between Indonesia and Japan in the January to April 2021 period was 9.84 billion US dollars, an increase of 1.87 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Of this value, Indonesia's exports to Japan amounted to 5.47 billion US dollars.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's imports from Japan amounted to 4.37 billion US dollars. Meanwhile, in 2020, the total trade between Indonesia and Japan is USD 24.33 billion. This value consists of exports of 13.66 billion US dollars and imports of 10.67 billion US dollars.