Export of Spices and Ready-to-Eat Food for Hajj 2026 Launched, Indonesian SMEs Penetrate Global Supply Chain

The government has officially released the export of spices and ready-to-eat (RTE) food for the needs of Hajj pilgrims in 2026. This step serves as an important milestone in encouraging domestic SMEs to enter the global market while strengthening the international supply chain in organising Hajj and Umrah worship.

Director General of Hajj and Umrah Economic Ecosystem Development, Jaenal Effendi, emphasised that this initiative is a concrete strategy to strengthen the real sector through the Hajj economic ecosystem.

“We want to ensure that the Hajj and Umrah ecosystem not only impacts worship services but also provides real economic benefits for domestic business actors,” said Jaenal Effendi on Thursday (2/4).

The exported products include instant spices and ready-to-eat food that have undergone strict standardisation processes, both in terms of quality, product durability, and internationally recognised halal certification.

In addition, this activity also serves as a trial of the logistics system to ensure the readiness of distributing Indonesian products to Saudi Arabia, from the production process, packaging, to on-time delivery accuracy.

“This activity proves that Indonesian SME products are capable of competing and meeting global standards, especially for the needs of Hajj pilgrims,” he explained.

This programme involves various parties, including State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). PT Pos Indonesia plays a role in supply chain management, while PT Garuda Indonesia supports distribution through air routes.

This synergy creates an integrated ecosystem from upstream to downstream, starting from spice farmers, SME actors, to logistics service providers. The government views the economic potential of the Hajj and Umrah sector as very large for boosting national growth.

“Going forward, we hope more SMEs will be involved and able to increase their production capacity,” said Jaenal.