Tokyo, 9 March 2022 -- With the spirit of Bridging Indonesia and The World, PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero), Tbk. (BNI) through the Tokyo branch brought a number of Food and Beverages products for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to participate in the Indonesian Pavilion in the Food Expo (FOODEX) 2022 event which will be held on 8-11 March 2022 at Makuhari Messe, Tokyo.
BNI Tokyo plays a role as a trade and investment bridge between Indonesia and the world, including supporting MSME players who will develop their business overseas. The Indonesian Pavilion is the result of a collaboration between the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo through the Trade Attaché, the Indonesia Trade Promotion Center Osaka, Bank Indonesia Tokyo, and BNI Tokyo. This collaboration is a real step in encouraging an increase in Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports, especially food and beverage products in the Japanese market.
FOODEX 2022 itself is the largest Food and Beverages exhibition event in Japan and even one of the largest in Asia because it was attended by more than 10,000 buyers from more than 30 countries. "Although we could not attend directly in Tokyo, we have facilitated as many as 14 MSMEs assisted by Xpora BNI which are export-oriented to be able to promote and market their products in Japan through FOODEX 2022. Besides being able to open market access and bring potential buyers in Japan closer to Indonesian MSME products, this expo is expected to be able to establish sustainable business agreements between Indonesian MSMEs and buyers in Japan," said BNI’s Treasury and International Director, Henry Panjaitan.
The flagship products of Indonesian MSMEs promoted in FOODEX 2022 include coffee, tea, chocolate, canned fish, fruit chips, processed coconut, sugar, and chili sauce. "BNI's support for Indonesian MSMEs at the FOODEX 2022 event is in line with BNI's spirit, especially in international business to support MSMEs Go Global, especially in the Japanese market," added Henry.
As the only commercial Bank from Indonesia in Japan, BNI Tokyo is committed to supporting the export of Indonesian products to emphasize Indonesia's existence in the Japanese market. In addition to displaying Indonesian MSME products, BNI Tokyo also provides a live virtual business matching facility to accommodate the needs of potential buyers for more detailed information on Indonesian MSME products promoted at FOODEX 2022.
“BNI Tokyo staff who speak Japanese have been prepared to facilitate live virtual business matching for visitors. Thus, language is no longer an obstacle for potential buyers who want to communicate directly with MSMEs in Indonesia to obtain more detailed information about the desired products," said Dyah Paramita Novia Putri, the Acting General Manager of BNI Tokyo at the opening of FOODEX 2022 (18/3).
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the consumption pattern of Japanese people. The existence of the Work From Home policy has resulted in an increase in the need for Food and Beverage, especially half-processed and processed food. The trend of Indonesian processed food exports to Japan has continued to increase in the last 5 years. Based on BPS data processed by the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, exports of Indonesian processed food products to Japan in 2021 will reach USD 211.2 million with an increasing trend of 3.56% over the last five years. The food products that experienced a significant increase in 2021 were snacks.