U.S. pulses industry hopes to expand market in Indonesia

U.S. pulses industry hopes to expand market in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Taking advantage of Indonesia's status as one of the largest
markets for American agricultural products, the United States
intends to expand its sales of pulses here.

To promote their products, the U.S.A. Dry Pea and Lentil
Council and the U.S. Dry Bean Council held a two-day seminar
recently to discuss affordable nutrition and product innovation
based on U.S. pulses in Jakarta, inviting food processing
industry executives from Indonesia and other ASEAN countries.

The council's Southeast Asia regional representative, Tim
Welsh, said Indonesia is becoming a prospective market for U.S.
dry peas, lentil and chickpeas.

"Indonesia is one of the largest countries in the world, but
yet there is still a huge need here in terms of nutrition and
advancement in the food industry. This is why the country is a
great and pivotal place for the U.S., not only for our industry
but also for our government," Tim said on the sidelines of the
seminar.

The councils, said Tim, aimed to introduce pulses, also known
as legumes, that could be processed and sold here in different
ways, such as snacks and beverages.

"It would also lift the people's nutrition levels," Tim said,
adding that pulses were high in protein, carbohydrates, fiber,
folate (a natural form of folic acid), iron and potassium.

According to data from PT Jakarta Sereal, an importer of
agricultural products, the snack industry's spending on peas as
raw materials reached Rp 130 billion -- about 4 percent of its
total raw materials costs -- in 2002.

Peter Klaiber of the U.S.A. Dry Pea and Lentil Council said
that even though there was strong international competition in
the markets for these commodities, his organization, which
represents thousands of U.S. growers, processors, exporters and
affiliated industries, was determined to expand its market share
in Indonesia.

"Indonesia is not a big market for us yet, but the opportunity
is there. We think the quality of our products fits well with the
users, especially when nutrition sophistication is increasing in
Indonesia. We'll find a better market for pulses here," the
marketing director of the council said.

He said that the development of the products would be feasible
as companies like PT Ultrajaya, PT Indofood, and PT Tiga Pilar
Sejahtera already produced highly innovative products with
sophisticated machinery.

"No huge investment is needed to produce these nutritional
products. The machinery is here and the distribution network is
there. All the processors need to do is to focus on tests of
products so that they can get consumer acceptance here," said
Kleiber. (006)