Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah Eko Hartono stated that the IWF Program has been an annual agenda that aims to promote Indonesian featured products, such as biscuits, coffee, candies, canned fish, and coconut milk.
"IWF constitutes one of a number of promotional activities of Indonesian products in Saudi Arabia, with the highlight on food and beverage products," Hartono noted in a written statement received in Jakarta on Friday.
He highlighted that the festival, being held from July 27 to August 17, is the result of a joint project of the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) and the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) in Jeddah that involves supermarket owners and Indonesian products importers.
The demand from both Indonesian citizens and foreigners residing in Saudi Arabia for Indonesian products has been increasing each year, he noted.
"We aim to make Indonesian products known and demanded in Saudi Arabia, both by Indonesian citizens and foreign nationals. Our target is to make the products appeal to around 40 percent of the total population of Saudi Arabia," he pointed out.
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The Economy and Trade Team at the KJRI Jeddah continues to implement various promotional programs, such as by facilitating business-matching activities with business actors from both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, the Indonesian Trade Attaché in Saudi Arabia is actively participating in promotional activities, such as by joining exhibitions of Hajj and Umrah necessities, holding solo exhibitions of Indonesian products, and holding in-store promotion and market intelligence activities.
Moreover, the attaché is arranging intelligence analysis regarding potential products and their likely competitors in the efforts to strengthen the presence of Indonesian products in Saudi Arabia.
Head of ITPC Jeddah, Muhammad Rivai Abbas, affirmed that Saudi Arabia is an open market by highlighting the data revealed by the Saudi Food and Drug Administration, stating that the country imports 80 percent of its food needs from numerous countries.
"To promote MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) products, we have to be fully aware that export is a long-term business, so we have to ensure that the quality and prices of our products can compete with similar products from other countries," he stated.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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