Indonesia world’s largest exporter of spices, food items: Envoy

Islamabad: The Ambassador of Indonesia to Pakistan, Adam M. Tugioon Sunday said that Indonesia was the world’s largest exporter of spices and other food items, which were the main ingredients of Pakistani food.

The people of Indonesia and Pakistan have a great deal of compatibility in food, which is why these spices are one of the most important commodities in trade on both sides, he said.

The Indonesian Ambassador said this in a meeting with Pakistani Spice traders to promote bilateral trade between Indonesia and Pakistan, said a press release issued here.

On the occasion, the Ambassador held a meeting with the major spice importers in Faisalabad to receive feedback on the execution of business matching with Indonesian spice exporters.

Ambassador Tugio stated that during his stay in Pakistan, he learned that the Pakistani people were very generous in their use of spices and that Indonesia produces half of the world’s spices, creating a huge potential and a great opportunity for the establishment of an Indonesia-Pakistan Spices Communication Forum.

He said that with the support of the Pakistani spice importers and Indonesian spice exporters, the forum is projected to act as a channel for increasing exports of Indonesian spice products to Pakistan and for more competitive and sustainable supply of Indonesian spices.

Ambassador Tugio went on to discuss his planned endeavor to publish a book titled “Indonesia Spice Up Pakistan,” which will give detail the numerous spices used by Pakistani people in their favorite dishes and where they are purchased from.

Ammar Fazil as one of the major spice importers in Pakistan appreciated the efforts of the Indonesian embassy and shared his thoughts to collaborate in the near future for spice trade in order to further strengthen the trade ties between the two brotherly nations.

Meanwhile the Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad, arranged a food festival.

The objective of the festival was to further strengthen the ties between the two Muslim brotherly countries Indonesia and Pakistan particularly through showcasing food, cultural dances, tradition, tourism, sports, and music.

Indonesian Ambassador, Adam M. Tugio inaugurated the event along with the UAF Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan and Dean Prof Dr. Masood Sadiq Butt at the National Institute of Food Sciences and Technology (NIFSAT).

Ambassador Tugio paid a visit to food stalls and appreciated the efforts of the students and the variety of tasty food items presented by the UAF students.

He highlighted that there were many similarities between Indonesia and Pakistan in terms of history, culture, religion, culinary and education system.

He informed the students about the opportunities available through Indonesia’s scholarship programs and emphasized that the majority of the universities that give scholarships are among the world’s top 500 universities, according to the QS World University Rankings for 2021.

He also lauded the brilliant young students of UAF for their brilliant performance in food exhibitions, promoting cultural dances, folk singing and comical drama performances. He emphasized that Pakistan’s youth have tremendous talent and potential in a variety of sectors.

The Indonesian Embassy also set up its stall at the festival where traditional arts, famous Batik dresses, tourism promotion, Indonesian products, as well as 8-10 traditional dishes of Indonesian cuisines were presented to the visitors.

The Embassy along with one of the renowned universities of Pakistan, collaborated to conduct a food, nutrition, and cultural festival in University of Faisalabad (UAF).

Indonesia was invited as a guest country of the 2022 Spring Festival of the UAF being celebrated by the Faculty of Nutrition.

The visitors enjoyed the warm welcome and were attracted by the culture, traditions, and customs of the Indonesian people, and enjoyed tasting the national dishes.

UAF Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan expressed his gratitude to the Indonesian Embassy for providing resources and for the outstanding joint collaboration which has substantially enhanced the cultural ties between two brotherly nations.