The domestic and export markets are still big."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto called on national food and beverage industries to boost exports as part of its efforts to increase performance.

"The domestic and export markets are still big. So, it is important for food and beverage industry to have adequate raw materials to galvanize investment growth," Minister Hartarto said in a written statement in Jakarta on Sunday (July 16).

Minister Hartarto also urged the food and beverage industries to create breakthroughs and product innovation to attracts both domestic and overseas consumers.

The minister made the statement when attending a post-fasting get together or Halal Bihalal with the Indonesian Food and Beverage Business Association (GAPMMI) in Jakarta.

In order to prepare reliable human resources, the Ministry of Industry has the commitment to implement its program through the formulation of the Indonesian National Work Competence Standards (SKKNI); education and training development; and industry vocational education development.

"We appreciate the food and drink businesses for their part and support to the competence-based vocational education program with a link-and-match system to industry in East and Central Java," Hartarto said.

The program will be launched again on July 27, 2017.

Hartaro said the strategic program will increase food and drink industrial growth.

After all, food and drink industry has a big contribution in the non-oil and non-gas sector to the Gross Domestic Product. This sub-sector contributed 32.79 percent to the GDP in the first semester of 2017.

The growth of food and drink industry in the first semester of 2017 was recorded at 8.15 percent.

This indicates that food and drink businesses have significant roles in driving up the national economic growth. It could be seen through the value of its exports.

Food and drink product exports, including crude palm oil, win the January-May period of 2017 reached US$13.28 billion.

In the same period, the imports of food and drink products were recorded at $3.98 billion.

The realization of investment in the food and drink sector in the second quarter of 2016 was recorded at Rp12.1 trillion for domestic investment and $476.32 million for foreign investment.
(Uu.A014/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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