Creative Economy Minister says East Java among top three for highest national creative exports

Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya stated that East Java is among the top three provinces with the highest export value for the creative economy industry nationally, driven by four leading sub-sectors: crafts, culinary, game development, and photography. “From January to April 2026, East Java’s contributions in crafts, culinary, game development, and photography have been substantial. East Java consistently ranks in the top three,” the Minister said during the Jatim Media Summit 2026 in Surabaya on Thursday. Teuku Riefky noted that the national export value for the craft sub-sector from January to April 2026 reached 3.82 billion US dollars, with East Java placing second after DKI Jakarta, recording exports of approximately 0.87 billion US dollars, or a contribution of 22.9 percent. Beyond crafts, East Java also secured second position in game developer exports, achieving 5.56 million US dollars, or 20.1 percent of the national realisation of 27.5 million US dollars. Positive results were also seen in the culinary sub-sector, where East Java ranked third with export realisations of 47.02 million US dollars, accounting for 16.8 percent of the total national exports of 0.28 billion US dollars. Meanwhile, in the photography sub-sector, East Java placed third as a contributor to national exports, recording 0.29 million US dollars, or 6.2 percent of the total photography exports of 0.47 million US dollars. He remarked that the presence of technology, combined with innovation and creativity and blended with culture, will continue to cultivate new creative economy talent. Furthermore, he said East Java’s achievements further prove that the creative economy can serve as a new engine for national economic growth, starting from the regions. He recorded that investment realisation in the creative economy sector reached Rp183.01 trillion, or 9.5 percent of total national investment in 2025.