Micro, small and medium enterprises (UMKM) assisted by a number of ministries and Indonesian Chamber of Commerce are given the opportunity to ‘open a stall’ in Saudi Arabia by exporting their products. Based on the records of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, there are 5 products that will be exported by the assisted MSMEs: chili sauce, soy sauce, coffee, tea and sugar.
The program is also an effort to take advantage of the very large market in Saudi Arabia, where each year 221,000 Hajj pilgrims, 1 million Umrah pilgrims, and hundreds of thousands of Indonesian expatriates need food intake and other necessities special to Indonesia. At the same time, the Minister of Trade hopes that non-oil and gas exports to Saudi Arabia will increase.
The Indonesian government strives to give strength to Indonesian SMEs to be able to participate in market niches, especially the Indonesian Hajj and Umrah market which will perform the Indonesian Haj and Umrah pilgrimage. So far, the needs of Indonesian congregation in the Holy Land have often been matched by production from other countries. Therefore, this effort must be implemented immediately to seize the market in Saudi Arabia.
So far, the availability of these goods (raw materials, cooking spices, Indonesian tea and coffee) originating from Indonesia is still very limited in Saudi Arabia. Most of them still dominated by products originating from a number of countries. Such as Thailand, Vietnam and India.
To participate in this market, MSMEs must have criteria based on the provisions of the Government of Saudi Arabia. The MSMEs that has been fostered has a certification to export to Saudi Arabia. Not only the 5 products that have been mentioned above, currently there are also MSMEs making rendang products that are being prepared for export to Saudi Arabia.
–sh
