Indonesia Seeks Food Industry Investment from China, Not Just to Boost Exports
Indonesia Seeks Food Industry Investment from China, Not Just to Boost Exports
JAKARTA - Indonesia strengthens economic cooperation with China through the Indonesia-China Food & Ecosystem Forum 2026 held in Wuhan, March 30. This forum is coupled with Indonesia’s participation in The 14th China Food Trade Fair 2026.
The government is not only targeting an increase in exports, but also encouraging the entry of industrial processing investments into the country to strengthen the national food ecosystem.
Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Maman Abdurrahman emphasized the importance of building an integrated food ecosystem from upstream to downstream in this cooperation.
“In strengthening the Indonesian and Chinese food ecosystem partnership, there are three main priorities that we need to push together, namely strengthening the integrated food supply chain, collaboration on technology and innovation in the food industry, and expanding market access and investment partnerships. This cooperation must cover the entire value chain, from production to digital-based distribution,” said Maman in his statement, Monday, March 30.
He added that the collaboration must be realized in the form of real implementation, especially in long-term investment and partnerships.
“The presence of the Indonesian Pavilion reflects the commitment to introduce quality food products to the global market. For this reason, cooperation must be built on the basis of trust, equal partnership, and the principle of mutual benefit, and be realized in strategic cooperation and long-term investment,” he added.
This forum brings together governments, industry players, investors, and brand owners from both countries. The focus is on building concrete collaboration, especially in the development of the food processing industry in Indonesia.
ATTEC Chairman Budihardjo Iduansjah said that this cooperation is aimed at making Indonesia not only a market, but also a production base.
“We not only encourage the increase in exports, but also open up opportunities for industrial investment in Indonesia. By bringing investors and industry players, we want to encourage the development of production facilities in the country, so that Indonesia is not only a market, but also a production base that is able to meet domestic and export needs,” he said.
As part of the agenda, Indonesia also opened the Indonesian Pavilion at the 14th China Food Trade Fair 2026. A total of 17 exhibitors from various sectors took part, ranging from fishery products to value-added processed foods.
This participation is a means to introduce national products as well as explore business partnerships with industry players in China.
This cooperation was also strengthened through the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Liang Zhi Long Group for the implementation of the Asian Food & Ecosystem Expo (AFEX). In addition, a Letter of Intent (LoI) was also signed with Chongqing Department Store Co., Ltd and Liang Zhi Long to open trade access for Indonesian products to the Chinese market.
Director General of National Export Development of the Ministry of Trade Fajarini Puntodewi assessed that the Chinese market is still very potential for Indonesian business actors to utilize.
“With the huge potential of the Chinese market, we are optimistic that cooperation between business actors of the two countries will continue to grow. This series of activities is expected to not only strengthen bilateral trade relations, but also open wider access for Indonesian products to grow in the global market,” he said.