During a meeting with the Consul General of the People's Republic of China, Xu Yong, on Tuesday, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa offered to export porang and bird’s nests to China.
"I express my hope to export porang and bird’s nests to China," the governor said after meeting with Consul General Yong at Grahadi Building, Surabaya.
East Java is the largest porang producer in Indonesia, Parawansa noted. Porang is a food source that is low in carbohydrates and calories and is protein-free, she added.
"I hope that later the Consul General can invite investors to come here, see the factory directly, or invest in building a factory here to expand market potential for East Java porang farmers," she said.
In addition to porang, Parawansa also discussed exports of bird’s nests. According to her, of the total national production of bird’s nests, 30 percent comes from East Java.
Given the large production, she said she believes that East Java bird’s nests can meet the needs of toddlers in China as the commodity is popular among them.
"If we can find trade common ground for the two commodities, it will bring a great impact for porang and bird’s nests farmers in East Java," she added.
During the meeting, Parawansa also broached several cooperation programs in the fields of economy, education, culture, and tourism between East Java and China.
In the period from January–October 2022, trade between East Java and China in various commodities was significant, with exports valued at US$2,697.87 million and imports recorded at US$5,869.01 million, leading to a deficit of US$3,171.14 million.
This led to China ranking as the third largest export destination for East Java. As a country of import origin for East Java, China ranked first.
According to data, in the period from 2010 to the third quarter of 2022, Chinese investment in East Java flowed into 361 projects, with the investment value recorded at US$368.67 million. The biggest business sectors were trade and repair, the food industry, basic metal industry, and metal goods except for machinery and equipment.
Consul General Yong, who has served for one month in East Java, said he is optimistic that cooperation with East Java will continue to increase in the future.
"I hope that we will become strategic partners who can develop various collaborations in the fields of economy, education, tourism, and fisheries, for the welfare of people in both regions," Parawansa disclosed.
Editor : Abdullah Rifai
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