Jakarta (ANTARA) Indonesia exported $18.81 million of soy sauce between January and August 2026 to several countries, according to the Ministry of Trade.
Deden Mohammad Fajar Shiddiq, Acting Director of Export Development for Creative Services and Products, said this figure included exports valued at $3.77 million to Australia and $3.3 million to Malaysia.
Speaking Saturday at a culinary festival in Jakarta, he attributed the high demand for Indonesian soy sauce in Australia to the large Indonesian diaspora in the country, including a large number of students.
” There is a strong diaspora presence there, which explains the presence of many Indonesian restaurants,” he said. Mr.
Shiddiq added that the large Indonesian diaspora in Malaysia had also contributed to the country’s substantial imports of Indonesian soy sauce.
“With regard to Malaysia, we have registered 2.54 million members of our diaspora. That is why we see a high value of exports to this country,” he concluded.
Exports to Saudi Arabia were valued at US$1.74 million, followed by exports to the United States ($1.5 million) and the Netherlands ($1.2 million).
The Minister also highlighted the Ministry of Trade’s commitment to further strengthen Indonesia’s agri-food industry in order to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the global culinary market, estimated at about US$4,300 billion and growing at 6.9% per year.
” By 2031, its value is expected to reach about US$7,600 billion,” said Shiddiq.
In support of this strategy, the Ministry deploys the National Programme for the Promotion of Indonesian Culinary Enterprises in Foreign Markets, SARASA.
He added that this initiative builds on Thailand’s efforts to expand the global reach of its culinary industry while preserving the authenticity of its cuisine.
According to him, this success is based on the government’s efforts to ensure reliable supply chains for Thai restaurants abroad.
“And that’s exactly what we’ve done and we’ll continue to do,” he concluded.
Shiddiq also indicated that the S’RASA program has been in place since 2025 and that the government is currently exploring opportunities for Indonesian restaurants in Australia, the United States, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.