Korea, Indonesia to boost cooperation in food sector

Food experts from Korea and Indonesia will gather in Jakarta to discuss ways to boost cooperation in the food sector. The ASEAN-Korea Centre and Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade will organize the “Trade Facilitation Workshop for Indonesian Food Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises” in Jakarta and Makassar on April 4-6. The aim is to support companies to “enhance competitiveness and gain further access to the Korean market,” the organization said.

Over 200 participants from local enterprises are expected to attend.

“The food and beverage sector is the largest subsector of Indonesia’s manufacturing industry, accounting for around a quarter of total manufacturing value of the country,” ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary General Kim Young-sun said.

“Recognizing the importance of the food industry, the Indonesian government designated the industry as one of the 10 priority industry groups for accelerated development in the Master Plan of National Industry Development 2015-2035. I hope this workshop will contribute to the development of the Indonesian food industry, as well as facilitating business cooperation between Indonesia and Korea.”

The organization said the workshop will be part of the “Indonesia-Korea Business Forum,” organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre and the Korea International Trade Association. The forum will feature other programs such as “Indonesia-Korea Cooperation on E-Commerce” and “1:1 Biz Meetings.”

Kim, Yang Mulia Ibu Arlinda, director general of the Ministry of Trade, and Korean food experts will introduce sourcing trends, branding and marketing strategies, logistics systems and up-to-date packaging design and technology to business representatives from the Indonesian food micro, small and medium enterprises, an organization spokesperson said.

Starting this year, the ASEAN-Korea Centre has developed its capacity-building program, formerly the Product Development Workshop, into the Trade Facilitation Workshop that covers wider areas important for the acceleration of trade, such as utilization of the ASEAN-Korea free trade agreement.

The ASEAN-Korea Centre is an intergovernmental organization established in 2009 with an aim to promote exchanges among Korea and the 10 ASEAN member states.