President Jokowi Releases Exports of Agricultural Commodities to 61 Countries

President Joko Widodo delivers his remarks at the Release of Agricultural Exports, Saturday (14/8), virtually from Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java. (Photo by: Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau/Muchlis Jr)

In the event of the Commemoration of Indonesia’s Independence Day, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Saturday (14/8) virtually released agricultural commodity exports simultaneously at 17 gates for 61 countries from Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java Province.

“Today, we will export agricultural commodities simultaneously from 17 export gates through airports and seaports in various regions in Indonesia as a momentum to strengthen Indonesian agricultural commodity exports and mark the revival of the national economy amid the pandemic,” the President said.

During the launch, the President expressed his appreciation to all stakeholders in the agricultural sector from upstream to downstream for the hard work in fulfilling national food demand and increasing agricultural exports.

“I’d like to extend my highest appreciation to the farmers, ranchers, planters, agribusiness actors, and other agricultural stakeholders who have worked hard during the pandemic to meet the food demand of the community and increase agricultural products exports,” he said.

The agricultural sector remains one of the sectors that has survived the pandemic. The agricultural exports in 2020 reached Rp451.8 trillion, 15.79 percent higher than that in the previous year’s amount of Rp390.16 trillion. Meanwhile, the export value for January to July period in 2021 reached Rp282.86 trillion, 14.05 percent higher than that in the same period in 2020 at Rp202.05 trillion.

“The increase in agricultural commodity exports can enhance the welfare of farmers as well,” the President said.

In addition, the Farmers Exchange Value (NTP) also continued to improve. In June 2020, the NTP reached 99.60, then it consistently increased until December 2020 at 103.25, and it reached 103.59 in June 2021. “This is good news that can encourage the enthusiasm of our farmers to stay productive during the pandemic,” he said.

On that occasion, the Head of State also welcomed the export of agricultural commodities in the form of rice to Saudi Arabia as the destination country. However, he also reminded relevant stakeholders to prioritize the fulfillment of national demand.

“If we calculated it correctly, we have more rice supply then we can export it. But once again it should be well-calculated, ensure that the existing stock is actually sufficient for domestic demand. That means that domestic demand should come first, if we have more stock based on the calculations, we can export them,” he said.

At the end of his remarks, the President ordered his Cabinet to continually strengthen the market for agricultural commodities both domestically and overseas.

“For the domestic market, we encourage people to love and buy our own agricultural products, and to consume healthy food produced by our own country. For the international market, we can start to enter the markets of non-traditional countries intensively and integrated, this is our opportunity, a good momentum during the pandemic so that the market potential is expanding,” he said.

In the meantime, Minister of Agriculture Syarul Yasin Limpo said that the total value of agricultural exports reached Rp7.29 trillion.

“The agricultural exports that will be released on this occasion are 627.4 million tons worth Rp. 7.29 trillion, including the first commodity for plantations as much as 564.6 million tons, food crops 4.3 million tons, horticulture 7.2 million tons, livestock 4 0.0 million tons, and other commodities,” the Minister said at Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, East Java Province.

The agricultural exports will be sent to a number of export destination countries such as China, the United States, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, England, Germany, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and several other countries.

For the record, those 17 export gates through seaports and airports include the Kariangu Port, Balikpapan; Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya; Dumai Port, Pekanbaru; Laut Panjang Port, Bandar Lampung; Belawan Port, Medan; Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta; and Boom Baru Port, Palembang.

The gates also include Batu Ampar Port, Batam; Soekarno Hatta Airport, Banten; Tanjung Mas Port, Semarang; Soekarno Hatta Port, Makassar; Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin; Talang Duku Port, Jambi; Teluk Bayur Port, Padang; Tanjung Balai Asahan Port; Dwikora Port, Pontianak; and Bitung Port, Manado.

The Minister further said that a total of 341 regencies/cities participated in exporting today, while 173 regencies/cities have not yet participated in agricultural commodity exports. “We are targeting that by the end of 2024, there will be no regencies/cities that do not export agricultural products,” he remarked. (TGH/UN) (RIF/LW)