The government has begun to look at the export of ornamental plants (floriculture), considering the global market potential of US $ 22.32 billion. The market potential for ornamental plants in the world even exceeds the market for coffee and tea.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said Indonesia has a potential export market for ornamental plants due to its biodiversity. But currently, Indonesia has only fulfilled the global ornamental plant market by 0.1 percent.
No less interesting is the potential for export of vegetable seeds to foreign countries. According to Airlangga, almost all vegetables in Indonesia have market potential abroad, especially in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Thailand.
Some commodities with quite a lot of demand include kale, tomatoes, beans, squash, and long beans.
"In the future, the cooperation of several seed companies to open export markets and joint promotion abroad with government facilities can be increased," Airlangga added in an official statement, Friday (7/5).
He said that the ornamental plant and vegetable seed business is expected to be able to generate new jobs. However, both require increased technological innovation, development of production land, standardization, and product certification.
In general, the agricultural sector contributed 2.15 percent to Indonesia's exports in March 2021. Cumulative agricultural exports in January - March 2021 amounted to US $ 1.05 billion, up 14.29 percent over the same period last year.
Especially for the export value of floriculture, it has been recorded that it has increased in the last three years. In 2018 the export value was US $ 12.07 million. Then, it rose 12.1 percent to US $ 13.53 million in 2019. Then, in 2020 the export value increased significantly to US $ 19.98 million.
In order to encourage exports, the government provides support through the Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI) or Eximbank. This form of support is in the form of export-oriented People's Business Credit (KUR) with a maximum turnover of IDR 50 billion.
