Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Minister of Trade, Agus Suparmanto told that the product within geographic indication (GI) could massively contribute to the exports nationally. That is why the GI product promotion of Indonesia should run well and increase.

The GI product promotion should always be done as the preparation to the harvest in October 2020. The GI product could massively contribute to the exports nationally, namely in the Covid-19 pandemic like now,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

General Director of National Export Development, Ministry of Trade, Kasan mentioned that GI is the important component and could accelerate the exports from Indonesia to the global. The products within GI would be thought as one identity of Indonesia for the foreign countries.

He mentioned it in the web seminar (webinar) within the theme “Approaching October Harvest Season: A Webinar on Market Linkage of Traceable PGI Gayo Arabica Coffee to the EU Market” on Thursday (17/9). The webinar was held by General Directorate of National Export Development, Ministry of Trade in cooperation with General Directorate of Intellectual Rights, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, masyarakat perlindungan kopi Gayo (MPKG), and Arise+ Indonesia.

“To multiply the exports nationally, ministry of trade keeps trying the branding strategy and GI product promotion. GI is the identity of one product because it has specific characteristic, describes the beauty of Indonesia, and the important factor that could invite the tourist to our country,” he said.

Kasan also explained that Gayo coffee is one example of the first GI product and the world knows it, namely in Europe. The word ‘Gayo’ is the name of group/ethnic which represents one region. ‘Gayo’ also describes the person which attaches (to Indonesia) that other countries do not have GI.

“We do hope that the webinar could give description about the GI product potential and we could make the clear roadmap to develop the strategies to the businessmen and the GI product branding. We do believe that the GI product could massively contribute the exports nationally,” he said.

Director of Export Development Cooperation, Ministry of Trade, Marolop said that the webinar was attended by the representatives of related ministries/institutions, Gayo coffee exporters, the trade attaches of Indonesia in Europe who select the Gayo GI buyers (Arabica) in Europe. At the same time, the virtual business matching was held too. “The buyers would be invited to drink Gayo coffee in each representative office and hopefully they could give testimony of the product,” Marolop said.

He also mentioned that it is planned, before the harvest, the Gayo coffee producers, farmers, and traders would virtually meet the coffee importers from Europe.

“The coffee exports from Indonesia reached USD 883 million in 2019 or increased 8% from the previous year. It needs partnership and collaboration from many sides to increase the coffee exports from Indonesia,” Marolop said. (A2)