Agricom.id, JAKARTA – General Director of International Trade Negotiation, Ministry of Trade and as the Chairman of Dewan Organisasi Kopi Internasional in 2019/2020, Iman Pambagyo said that it is important to develop the optimism when facing the big challenge in coffee sector nationally, that is, Covid-19.

Encouraging the coffee nationally, besides increasing the exports, could be done by increasing the consumption in the domestic. He told that when inaugurating the International Coffee Day 2020 on Thursday (1/10) virtually. Bengkulu Province was the host of series of day from 1 to 4 October 2020.

Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita virtually joined the event within the theme, “Towards the Vision of Indonesia as a World Coffee Paradise: From Farmers to Customers”. While the International Coffe Day in the world proposed “Supporting the Next Generation”.

“Indonesia as one biggest coffee producer and also as the biggest consumer in the world needs to develop the markets, get the potential markets. This could be the strategy to combine the exploration in the domestic and abroad to adapt in the pandemic,” Iman said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

He also thought that the coffee businessmen could explore dynamic of increasing coffee consumption in the domestic. “It is important to know the domestic markets to open market access in the other countries. This considered the impact of Covid-19 pandemic in the trade barriers globally from the coffee importer countries,” he said. The International Coffee Day in Indonesia would popularize coffee and increase the productivity, quality, and consumption in the domestic and abroad.

He also emphasized that ministry of trade would support the coffee sectors, starting from the farmers (on farm), processor (off farm), and the end consumers in the Covid-19 time. The partnership and collaboration among the government, coffee stakeholders, and academy is important to do and a must to make Indonesia as ‘paradise of coffee’.

“The partnership would ensure that Indonesia could develop its capacity to adjust the coffee stock and demand by supporting economic development, giving advantages to the producer, namely the farmers, and fulfilling the consumers’ appetite for certain coffee,” he said. In his speech, he also told the strategies and policy that the government of Indonesia has made as the member of international coffee organization to encourage the coffee sectors nationally. Ministry of trade offered the businessmen to advantage the digitalization in training and fund. The training could be from Kompetensi Unggul Perdagangan (Kudagang) application. In the fund, ministry of trade is in cooperation with some instances to run Digital Kredit untuk UMKM (DigiKU) application.

The coffee micro, middle, and medium businessmen could advantage the applications. The government has published policy to promote coffee consumption in many regions in Indonesia. It covers the standards for instant coffee, the introduction, online distribution within the campaign hashtag “Satu dalam Kopi”. The government also developed the plans for the next five years to support the horticultural sectors, including the coffee, by developing the replanting and rehabilitation program through Gerakan Peningkatan Produksi, Nilai Tambah, dan Daya Saing (GRASIDA). The initiative is about to increase the agricultural production for about 35 percent, give the work chance in agriculture for about 25 percent, increase the agriculture gross domestic products for about 25 persen, get 525 thousands of millennial generations to work in agriculture, and support 12.500 the micro, small, and medium businesses in agriculture whole over the regions in Indonesia. (A2)