30 Kenyan firms seek to exploit Indonesian market for tea, coffee

Kenyan companies now look to exploit the Indonesian market, with at least 30 firms from Mombasa and Nairobi showing interest.

This is after Indonesian Ambassa- dor Hery Saripudin said their government is ready to incentivise business opportunities in the tea, coffee, avocado, and horticulture sectors.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world with about 280 million people, almost four times the Kenyan population.

“Take about half of that population, about 100 million. Every day they take a cup of tea or coffee. How many tonnes can Kenya’s young generation provide to sustain that tea-taking culture in Indonesia?” Hery posed.

He said Indonesia celebrates Valentine’s Day and could do with a supply of Kenyan flowers.

“So there is a big opportunity for Kenyan businesses to thrive in Indonesia,” he said on Monday during the 11th Mombasa Business Awards.

Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry Mombasa chairman Abud Jamal said as an enabler of business, KNCCI will strive to ensure more companies get opportunities to invest in Indonesia and get more Indonesian companies to invest in Kenya.

He said the 30 companies are in the initial stages of signing MoUs with Indonesian counterparts.

Jamal said he would not reveal the identities of the firms at this stage.

“Already, the ambassador has said there are opportunities in Indone- sia for tea, coffee, avocado, and the flower industry. It is time we ensure companies in these sectors explore the  Indonesian market,” he said.

Jamal said KNCCI will strive to bring companies from the two nations together to exploit ways of doing more business together.

He said challenges like connectivity, distance, and language between the two countries can easily be tackled with more cooperation.

“I’m sure that as the chambers of commerce between both countries, we can start a conversation that will lead to increased business volumes,” Jamal said.

He urged Mombasa companies not to limit themselves to tourism, saying there are more opportunities to be explored abroad than tourism alone.

Jamal urged Mombasa businesses to take advantage of the mission to Saudi Arabia set for December 12 to 16 to explore the market in the Gulf country.

Hery said Mombasa produces a lot of excellent business people with excellent business ideas.

He said every October, the Indonesian President gives appreciation to 20 to 30 businesses from all over the world.

This year, one out of 30 businesses was granted to a company from Mombasa called Safco International Gen Trading Llc. Safco, Hery said, did excellent cooperation with Indonesia importing copy papers, averaging about 50 to 60 containers of copy papers every month.

“We do hope there will be more Mombasa people doing business with Indonesia. At the embassy, we will fully facilitate the cooperation,” Hery said.

In August last year, Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Kenya and was welcomed by President William Ruto on his first visit to Africa.

Fifteen MoUs in different sectors including energy, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, textile, and palm oil were signed to strengthen cooperation and trade relations between the two countries.

Indonesia has invested in Mt Suswa to develop geothermal power.

The cooperation between Indonesia and Kenya is not only about business but also education.

Hery said the Indonesian government and universities have provided full scholarships to more than 100 Kenyan students to pursue undergraduate, masters, and doctorate studies.