TOKYO, October 18. /TASS/. Indonesian companies are interested in increasing imports of Russian grain crops, the federal center for the development of exports of agricultural products (FSBI Agroexport) reported.
The corresponding intentions were voiced during discussions at a business mission of Russian companies exporting agricultural products that took place in Jakarta.
Indonesian companies are also ready to start purchasing meat, confectionery and other products from Russia.
In particular, head of PT Cerestar Indonesia, Nick Eng, said that his enterprises have been purchasing Russian wheat since 2007, and have always been satisfied with its high quality.
"We hope that this year we will be able to return to procurement," he said. This year Russia resumed wheat supplies to Indonesia, interrupted in 2022. In the first nine months, the export volume amounted to 500,000 tons.
Another company, Mayora Indah, which imports milling wheat to make pasta, confectionery and other consumer products, also plans to start working with Russian suppliers this year, said purchasing manager Ferdinand Wirawan.
In turn, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Grain Exporters Eduard Zernin noted that Russia currently accounts for almost 25% of global wheat supplies, while Indonesia is one of the largest importers of this type of grain.
"I hope that the result of the business mission and direct business dialogue between the two countries will be the return of Russian grain to the Indonesian market, and this process has already begun," he said.
The business mission of Russian companies exporting agricultural products took place in Jakarta on October 16-18 with the participation of the Russian Agriculture Ministry and the Federal Center for the Development of Exports of Agricultural Products (FSBI Agroexport). About 20 Russian companies took part in it. More than 60 importers were involved in it on the Indonesian side: distributors, representatives of industry associations, etc.
In 2021, 32,200 tons of agricultural products worth $31.4 million were imported from Russia to Indonesia. At the end of 2022, exports of Russian agricultural products to Indonesia increased by 56.2% in value terms compared to a year earlier. Over the year, supplies of millet, frozen fish, and tobacco increased.