Badung, Bali, Aug. 6 -- The Ministry of Trade is expanding export market penetration into Central Asia and Africa to boost the economic growth.

"These are major markets that we must optimize," Deputy Minister of Trade Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri said on the sidelines of a send-off ceremony for a shipment of snake fruit ( salak) for export in Kuta, Bali, on Thursday.

According to her, this market diversification effort is expected to drive export performance, following the government's recent ratification of trade agreements such as the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EU-CEPA), as well as the Indonesia-Peru and Indonesia-Canada CEPAs.

Dyah Roro noted that tropical fruits, such as snake fruit, are am...