The Industry Ministry pushed for the exports of natural products, such as seaweed extract, essential oils, and plant extracts, as materials for dietary supplements and cosmetics to the European market.
In order to achieve the goal, collaboration was forged with the Center for Import Promotion of Developing Countries (Centrum tot Bevordering van de Import uit Ontwikkelingslanden/CBI), an institution under the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry.
“The diversity of natural ingredients products, combined with production capabilities, can provide opportunities to meet the global demand. Hence, Indonesia has to increase its expansion to the international market and must position itself as a trusted producer of natural ingredients in the world,” the Director General of Resilience, Territorial and International Industrial Access at the Industry Ministry, Eko S. A. Cahyanto, noted in a written statement received here on Wednesday.
The ministry and the Dutch CBI also facilitated four series of export business training together in an effort to support the export initiative, particularly in connection with building a unique image or branding of these products, he pointed out. Representatives of ministries and institutions, associations, and industry players participated in the training.
Baseline Definition was discussed in the first training. The second training pertained to Brand Positioning, while the third was about Brand Creation, and the fourth was about Tool Validation.
The training aimed to broaden the scope of knowledge and understanding of natural product business players regarding the potential of European market access development.
“Natural ingredients are widely used in various food and cosmetic products. One of the main markets globally for food and cosmetic products is Europe. The European region, traditionally, has grown as a potential market for natural ingredients’ producers, with high demand for various products made from these materials,” Cahyanto stated.
Indonesian natural products have vast potential to make the most of the European market, considering Indonesia’s production capacity that should not be taken lightly. On the other hand, competitiveness still posed a challenge for Indonesian natural ingredients’ producers to penetrate the European market.
“The challenge of export competitiveness is what we are striving to address through the initiation of cooperation between the Industry Ministry and several international partner institutions, such as the Dutch CBI,” he stated.
The Dutch CBI was an institution of the Dutch government mandated to contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic development in partnered developing countries through the promotion of exports from these countries to European markets, including the Netherlands.
The two entities were also working together to increase the exports of home decor products to the European market.
Source: Antara News