JAKARTA – The Indonesian Palm Oil Association’s (GAPKI) Communication Division Head Tofan Mahdi said that startup companies have a strategic role to take part in the activities of exporting palm oil and derivative products.
With the participation of startups, the palm oil exporters will be more diversified and not just conducted by the state-owned companies (BUMN), and the private companies.
“Previously, the export activities were only conducted by the big companies. But with the digital system, the startups can have the same opportunities to access the global export markets,” Tofan said during a public discussion on palm oil as strategic export commodity & opportunities of startups in exporting palm oil and derivative products in Jakarta on Wednesday, 29 June 2022.
He pointed out that palm oil export has a big potential to be further developed. It is because it has a big demand at the global market.
“Globally, the palm oil has a leading role among the global vegetable oils. And Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil, followed by Malaysia as the second largest producer,” said Tofan.
Due to the global high demand for the palm oil and derivative products, the palm oil industry has become the biggest contributor of foreign exchange for Indonesia and also employs a large number of workers. “It means, the palm oil industry has a big contribution to Indonesian economy. The more so, as around 43% of the total 16.3 million hectares of oil palm plantations in Indonesia are owned by smallholders. Such opportunity can be further optimized by the startup players as a strategy to develop palm oil in the future,” he said.
Tofan proposed that the startup players target small markets in the foreign countries that need palm oil products but they are not yet tapped by the private companies or the BUMN firms.
“The micro opportunities or individuals are still untapped. The big companies could not enter such markets, but players of startups or other small and medium enterprises can access them,” he said.
“I hope our friends who understand the digital system can design their strategy to access the small markets. Surely, the market is now up for grabs,” Tofan asserted.
Source: wartaekonomi.co.id
