THE EDITOR – Realizing The Golden Indonesia 2045 (Indonesia Emas 2045) will not be so difficult if only every element of the government can work and communicate like the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.
In an online meeting, The Editor had the opportunity to see firsthand the business pitching process between Indonesian entrepreneurs engaged in the export business with the Trade Attache and Staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.
In the meeting that took place on 4 June 2025 at 20.00 WIB, 11 exporters from all over Indonesia were waiting for the presence of representatives of the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt.
The participants seemed to be tense, but enthusiastically awaiting the presence of all invited guests who had registered in advance.
The Indonesian Embassy in Cairo team were all on time and waiting patiently with friendly faces.
“Welcome all exporters from Indonesia,” said Trade Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt Syahran Bhakti, starting the meeting with a friendly face.
The participants, who previously looked tense, slowly became more relaxed and even had smiles on their faces.
During the meeting, Syahran patiently gave each exporter time to explain the commodities they wanted to submit to the Egyptian market. Not only that, he also provided each exporter with the categories and quality standards that exporters need to achieve if they want to compete in the Egyptian and Middle Eastern markets.
EXPORTERS ARE SHOCKED AND BELIEVE THE WIND OF SUCCESS WILL BLOW FROM EGYPT
This unusual and rare meeting received a lot of praise from the participants.
It should be noted that the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt’s style of introducing Indonesian products in the Egyptian market is already known by many parties. However, not many Indonesian embassies abroad warmly embrace local entrepreneurs from Indonesia to dare to compete abroad online. The policy of the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt has drawn praise from exporters, some of whom are still learning to become exporters.
Siti Aisyah from SJI Oleo, for example. The representative of the company that produces palm oil from Sumatra revealed that the opportunity to have an online meeting with the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt was very important for them. The reason is that most of the palm oil market has been filled by large companies that have been in the industry for decades.
“With this meeting, we, medium-sized companies, have been given the time and opportunity to be recognised. We are very grateful for this. Thank you for the opportunity,” Siti said.
SJI Oleo was also very enthusiastic during the meeting. They even presented some of the employees who work in the factory, some people from the marketing team, and the owner of the company himself.
Siti said that SJI Oleo is ready to respond to the demands of the Egyptian market and has high hopes that the government will help them grow.
“Hopefully this will be a good start. We are ready to answer the needs of the Egyptian market,” said Andika from the SJI Oleo team.
SJI Oleo is known to have a good reputation for palm oil export processing activities. The Egyptian market’s demand for the specifications of processed palm oil products that were sent to their company, Andika said, will be answered professionally and responsibly.
During this meeting, the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt also directed the Egyptian buyers to meet with SJI Oleo immediately after Eid al-Adha. The goal is to bring sellers and buyers together and discuss the needs of goods together.
Andika said that this quick response from the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt was the answer to the success of local exporters.
“We are very appreciative and we are ready,” he said.
Another is Septiawan from CV Anugerah Alam Mulya, who specialises in chocolate powder. He directly appreciates the government, especially the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt, for establishing direct communication with exporters.
“There has never been an embassy whose hands are open to exporters like this. They are patient and teach us until we understand the prices that can be proposed so that we don’t lose money,” said Septiawan, who has often exported chocolate powder abroad.
According to him, Egyptian Trade Attaché Syahran understands the condition of Indonesian medium-sized exporters very well. He hopes that other Indonesian Embassies around the world can follow the example of the Egyptian Embassy so that Indonesia’s international trade will expand.
INDONESIAN EMBASSY IN EGYPT IS THE WORLD’S ONLY ACTIVE DIPLOMACY MACHINE
The same thing was also conveyed by Rizki from CV Rasya Badlyah, which is engaged in the arabica coffee export business from Aceh. He said that during his experience in the industry, Indonesian Embassy in Egypt was the only one that directly held regular meetings with middle-class and beginner exporters.
“The Indonesian Embassy in Egypt is the only diplomatic machine that is active in this world,” he said happily.
Rizki recognises that this kind of thing is rarely done by other embassies in the world and increases his confidence in a better trade climate in the future.
“We hope that such events can be held as often as possible. We are also ready to talk with Egyptian buyers if facilitated by the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt. They are great,” Rizki said.
As a business player in the coffee industry, Rizki says that the arabica coffee from Gayo, Aceh, that he produces is of high quality and above average.
He also did not deny that the experience of talking with the Trade Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt and all staff directly was a very valuable and unforgettable experience.
“There is an Indonesian Embassy that wants to listen and becomes a bridge for buyers and sellers like them. It seems like this is the first time. Usually it is only done through the expo, and not everyone knows when the expo is held,” he said.
For this reason, he hopes that the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt will open up opportunities for high-quality coffee from Indonesia, especially Aceh, to compete internationally. Many foreign buyers have been looking for Indonesian coffee at low prices because they really like the taste. However, not many people know that Indonesia already has coffee bean specifications that are of international standard and compete with rare coffee beans in the world.
For example, Arabica Wild Luwak Gayo, Arabica Wine Gayo, Arabica Natural Gayo, Arabica Honey Gayo, Arabica Peaberry, Arabica Fullwashed, Arabica Semi Washed, Arabica Grade 1, Arabica Natural Anaerobic, and Arabica Natural.
“Our coffee has lab test results and is in high demand. We want Indonesian coffee to be known abroad for its unique taste and to compete with expensive coffee because we are able to produce it in accordance with international standards such as colour, dryness, taste, aroma, acidity, and so on,” said Rizki.
He admitted that the price for coffee specially prepared for the high-end market is quite expensive and there are already many enthusiasts from the Middle East. For this reason, he hopes that the Indonesian Embassy in Egypt will also open opportunities for medium-sized MSMEs who are confident and ready to provide high-quality coffee to enter the Pyramid Country Market.
