BANDAR LAMPUNG, KOMPAS - The Ministry of Trade encourages processed banana products made by micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs in Lampung to penetrate the export market. This processed product will try to be offered to countries in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. This was stated by Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan when he visited an MSME center in Bandar Lampung, Saturday (7/1/2023). During the visit, Zulkifli saw the production process of Shamiya brand frozen fried bananas. "This frozen banana product can last a long time, so I will try to offer it abroad. This month I am going to Mecca to meet with the trade minister there. We want to open a wholesale store in Saudi Arabia. I will also introduce this MSME product," he said. Zulkifli assessed that frozen fried banana products from Lampung have the opportunity to be exported to Saudi Arabia. Apart from meeting the needs of Indonesian pilgrims there, this product can also be promoted to pilgrims from other countries. Not only processed banana products, Zulkifli said, there are still many other MSME products from Lampung that have the opportunity to penetrate the export market. Zulkifli also said that he has asked trade attaché officials and the Indonesia Trade Promotion Center to continue promoting various MSME superior products abroad. The Ministry of Trade has also designed a training program for MSMEs so that they can export their products. In addition to maintaining the quality of their products, they are also asked to complete various business licensing documents. The government provides free training for MSME players so that they can develop their businesses. The government is also collaborating with banks to provide capital loans with competitive interest rates. MSMEs that need capital to export can also get loans from export financing institutions. Mulyadi Al-Kahfi (40), owner of the Shamiya Frozen Banana business, hopes that the government will also assist MSME players in mapping the availability of banana raw materials in the regions. In a day, he needs up to 1 ton of banana raw materials per day. When there is a shortage of banana raw materials in Lampung, he is forced to buy them from Bengkulu and South Sumatra. "We will form a banana MSME cluster to know the amount of banana raw materials needed by actors in Lampung. What has happened so far is that MSME players in Lampung still lack raw materials because many bananas are directly sent outside Lampung," Mulyadi said.
Coffee export
Meanwhile, the Bandar Lampung Class I Agricultural Quarantine Center noted that 40 tons of coffee beans from Lampung will be exported to Turkey earlier this year. To date, Lampung has exported coffee beans to 65 countries in Asia, Europe, America, Australia and Africa. Based on data from the Indonesia Quarantine Full Automation System, in 2022, Lampung's coffee bean exports will amount to 310,682.537 tons. This number increased compared to exports in 2020 and 2021, which were recorded at 156,905.161 tons and 96,850.192 tons, respectively. Head of the Bandar Lampung Class I Agricultural Quarantine Agency Donni Muksydayan said that his party would continue to encourage an increase in exports of agricultural products from Lampung. "We will continue to try to encourage an increase in the volume of Lampung coffee bean exports to foreign countries even though several destination countries are currently tightening export requirements for Lampung coffee," said Donni. To ensure that coffee beans to be exported are free from pests and diseases, quarantine officers carry out strict checks. In addition to the required documents, officers also take product samples to be examined in the laboratory. This examination is important to ensure that coffee beans from Indonesia are free from insects that carry pests and diseases and contain harmful substances before being exported abroad.
Source: Ministry of Trade Encourages Lampung Banana Processed Products to be Exported to the Middle East