Menekraf Guides Padang's Gastronomy Towards the Global Stage

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency (Menekraf), Teuku Riefky Harsya, is committed to guiding the vision of Padang city as a national culinary centre and strengthening the region’s identity as an area with diverse gastronomy.

“Through this collaboration, we aim to ensure that the richness of Minangkabau gastronomy not only becomes local pride but also meets global standards and delivers real economic impact for the community,” said the Menekraf Minister in an official statement received on Thursday.

Padang city is preparing to represent Indonesia as a candidate for UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2027. In this regard, the central government is committed to assisting in optimising the region’s creative identity to boost the national creative economy’s reputation on the world stage.

This synergy is our shared commitment to guiding the nomination selection for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) 2027. We will assist the Padang City Government so that technical preparations and documents are compiled in accordance with UNESCO’s international standards,” Riefky emphasised.

Padang’s Mayor, Fadly Amran, stated that the strength of cultural heritage, such as rendang, sate Padang, gulai, and sambal lado, as well as the social eating tradition of bajamba and the cultural acculturation of urang Padang jalan barampek, serve as the main assets for becoming a City of Gastronomy.

“The Ministry of Creative Economy provides crucial support for us to enhance the standards of a sustainable culinary ecosystem, given that Padang has a complete culinary richness that has been recognised by the world,” Fadly remarked.

This meeting also aims to coordinate following the addendum to the Minutes of Independent Assessment Results for Creative Districts/Cities (PMK3I) in Padang, which now focuses on the culinary subsector as of February 2026.