During the weekly press briefing of the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry (Kemenparekraf), Uno said the aim of the ISUTW program is to expand Indonesia's culinary presence in the international market and add value to the nation's economy.
The program will open up a spice route from Indonesia to New York through regions such as the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, the minister informed.
The ISUTW program has been launched at the behest of Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and has been cleared by President Joko Widodo as well as the National Secretary, Uno said.
"We will also strengthen our network by meeting with culinary players, seasoning importers, and non-Indonesian restaurant entrepreneurs in New York so that they can actively participate in making this program a success," he added.
Based on data provided by the ministry, Indonesia's spice exports have shown an upward trend in the last five years, with their growth rate recorded at 2.95 percent. In 2020, spice exports touched US$1.02 million.
The ISUTW program is targeting to establish four thousand Indonesian restaurants abroad and boost the export value of spices to US$2 million by 2024, Uno disclosed.
The spices that will be promoted through the program include rendang, fried rice, satay, soto, gado-gado as well as other complementary seasonings, such as soy sauce and peanuts, he said.
Meanwhile, spices that will be prioritized for exports include pepper, nutmeg, clover, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla, he added.
"Many have said that this target is very ambitious, but we believe that this is doable because we are not just collaborating with the ministry, but also the diaspora as well," Uno remarked.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
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