Indonesia agrees to increase palm oil export to Kenya in a bid to boost earnings

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NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's embassy in Jakarta sparked renewed interest in bilateral trade relations. Indonesian companies to showcase food, drink, medicine, packaging, and logistics at Expo 2023.

Expo aims to promote cultural exchange and education opportunities between the two nations.

With a new expo designed to help its companies find new customers, Indonesia hopes to increase its trade with Kenya.

This comes after its commerce with Kenya decreased in value in 2022 from $560 million to $501 million. The Indonesian Embassy claims to diversify its shipments into the Kenyan Market from conventional palm oil to increase these earnings.

The decline in trade value was ascribed to COVID-19, which paralyzed shipping and transportation. According to Rendra Kusumawardana, the Secretary of Economic Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy, the Asian nation will seek to boost its exports in the food and beverage sector.

“Ten companies from Indonesia have confirmed that they will be looking to introduce their products to the Kenyan market from next month. This is among the initiatives we look towards increasing our product range for the local market,” said Kusumawardana.

Just one year after Kenya's embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia opened, there is a resurgence of interest in fostering bilateral trade ties.

According to the economic affairs secretary, five of the ten enterprises on the list will be based on food and drink, two on medicine, one on shipping and logistics, one on biodegradable packaging, and one on tobacco.

Sasa Inti Limited (food and seasoning), Salim Wazaran Kenya Co. Ltd. (Indomie Kenya), Sido Muncul Tbk Limited (modern herbal medicine), Evogaia Karya Nusantara Limited (bio-degradable packaging), and Indo Jaya Tobacco Limited (tobacco) are among the businesses that have indicated their involvement.

Others include ABC President Indonesia Limited (food and drinks), Indesso Tanzania Ltd. (an organic insecticide), Bersama Olah Boga Limited (food and seasoning), April Logistics Indonesia Limited (shipping and logistics), Indospirit Natura Limited (healthy food and beverages), and Bersama Olah Boga limited (food and seasoning).

Despite the fact that both Indonesia and Kenya produce similar goods, he claims that there is a great deal of room for cooperation between the two nations' businesses.

The Asian nation will share commerce, education, and cultural exhibitions through Expo 2023 (IndoNEX2023), which will highlight a few of Indonesia's export goods, educational programs, and cultural offerings.

In addition to giving Kenyan students and young people the chance to pursue higher education in Indonesia, IndoNEX 2023 wants to increase Indonesian exports while promoting cultural exchange, understanding, and people-to-people contact between the two nations.

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and Sasa, an Indonesian food and seasoning company, will support and collaborate on this, according to the embassy.

There will be a wide range of exhibitors at the Expo, from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to significant Indonesian exporters in the food and beverage, herbal medicine, packaging, and logistics sectors.

GAROWE ONLINE