As many as 1,035 firms from 21 countries in Asia Pacific and Africa have ordered a series of goods from small Indonesian enterprises, thanks to trade promotion efforts made by the country’s diplomatic agencies abroad.

The efforts are part of the economic diplomacy promotion policy of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to directly benefit small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Indonesian small enterprises were offered a “golden opportunity” to play a direct role in pushing the country’s export, said the Ministry.

Around 100 SMEs from Indonesia were provided with a list of high demand commodities in foreign markets and granted access to a myriad of business opportunities.

Asia Pacific and Africa are now Indonesia’s key export markets with major commodities such as wood products, handicrafts, consumer goods, chemicals, garments, cotton yards, and seafood.

Efforts made by Indonesian embassies and general consulates in the two regions have facilitated easier access for the country’s SMEs to these markets.

Banks Mandiri and Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) have also joined in the provision of financial services, assisting SMEs to conduct trade transactions with their foreign counterparts.-VNA