Indonesia Opens Export Opportunities for Palm Oil and Cocoa to Belarus
Indonesia will encourage the export of its leading agricultural commodities to Belarus, particularly crude palm oil (CPO), cocoa, coconut, and tea. This emerged following a meeting between Indonesian Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman and Belarusian Minister of Agriculture and Food Yuri Gorglov at the Ministry of Agriculture’s headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday (30/6).
“We want to expand the export market for Indonesian agricultural commodities to Belarus. The increasingly close relationship between the two countries must provide tangible benefits through mutually beneficial trade increases,” Amran said in a statement quoted on Wednesday (1/7).
One opportunity of note is the export of Indonesian cocoa. The Belarusian government conveyed that its country has a chocolate processing industry that supplies the domestic market, Eastern Europe, and Russia. To support this industry, Belarus requires approximately 120,000 tonnes of cocoa per year. This opens a significant opportunity for Indonesia to increase exports while expanding market access for its national cocoa commodities.
In addition to cocoa, Amran also pushed for increased exports of Indonesian CPO to Belarus. He noted that Belarus has the potential to become a strategic gateway for Indonesian agricultural products into the Eastern European region. During the meeting, the Belarusian government also conveyed its need for palm oil, which can be met by Indonesia.
“We are also encouraging CPO exports to Belarus. So far, this product has not entered the Belarusian market, even though they have expressed a need for around 14,000 tonnes. This is an opportunity we must immediately follow up on to increase trade between the two countries,” the Agriculture Minister said.
Beyond opening trade opportunities, Indonesia and Belarus also agreed to strengthen cooperation in agricultural technology. The collaboration will focus on developing agricultural mechanisation, modernising irrigation systems, managing water resources, and utilising agricultural tools and machinery to boost productivity and efficiency in the sector.
“Belarus has experience and technology that can be a strategic partner for Indonesia. Meanwhile, Indonesia has enormous potential in the agricultural sector. This collaboration must accelerate agricultural modernisation and strengthen food security for both countries,” Amran stated.
In the livestock sector, the two countries also discussed opportunities to enhance trade cooperation in dairy products. Minister Amran assessed that such cooperation is expected to deliver quality products at increasingly competitive prices for the Indonesian people. “We want every cooperation built to provide tangible benefits to the community, whether through improved product quality, more competitive prices, or the opening of new economic opportunities for both countries,” he said.
The Agriculture Minister stressed that all discussion outcomes must be promptly followed up so that the agreed cooperation can be realised immediately.