Jakarta, March 30 -- Indonesia, the largest economy in ASEAN, is stepping up its downstream industrial strategy to enhance added value, strengthen energy self-reliance, and ensure food security amid global uncertainties.
Speaking in Jakarta on March 28, Indonesian Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman stressed the need for the country to move away from exporting raw materials and instead develop downstream industries to retain value domestically.
He highlighted key commodities such as coconut, crude palm oil (CPO), and gambier, noting that these are still largely exported in raw or semi-processed forms. With deeper processing, however, products such as virgin coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut water, and various industrial goods could ...