Targeting China's Market, Indonesian SMEs Encouraged to Export Durian and Bird's Nest

The government is beginning to target a significant opportunity in the Chinese market to encourage Indonesian MSME products to penetrate the export sector, ranging from durian to bird’s nest, amid the dominance of supplies from other countries. This effort was directly conveyed to Chinese authorities at the Indonesia-China SME, Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum 2026, held last Wednesday (1/4/2026). MSME Minister Maman Abdurrahman stated that the government is urging for broader market access in China for Indonesian micro, small, and medium enterprises. “We are focusing more on the market potential in China to open it as widely as possible to our micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs,” Maman said when met at the Smesco Indonesia Building, Jakarta, on Monday (6/4/2026). Through the forum, the government is also targeting the establishment of a supply chain for Indonesian MSME products with China, including access to that country’s domestic market. Demand for durian in China is considered very high, but it has so far been largely met by Thailand and Vietnam. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s durian exports to China remain relatively small. “That’s seasonal, and there are many durian farmers of ours that we can optimise,” Maman remarked. Besides fruit, bird’s nest is also a strategic commodity. Around 70 percent of the global bird’s nest supply comes from Indonesia. “One of them is how to open even greater access for our bird’s nest,” Maman stated. The Ministry of MSMEs will also send several staff to study China’s policies in developing small businesses. “And that will later be outlined in several cooperation contracts with them, and alhamdulillah, they have already agreed,” Maman added. Several of these cooperations are planned to be finalised at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in September, with China as the host. “We will also peak the MoU there for the execution of all our agreements later,” he said.