BNI’s Hong Kong branch office and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia

have put together an Indonesian pavilion with the theme "Indonesia - Spice Up the World".

Inspired by the spirit of Indonesia’s 77th independence anniversary, BNI Hong Kong is presenting spices and food products by Xpora MSMEs such as black pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cashews, walnuts, coffee, instant mi godok (boiled noodles) and many other products.

Other Association of State-Owned Banks (HIMBARA) participating in the event include BRI and Bank Mandiri. The purpose of holding the Indonesia Pavilion is to promote spices and Indonesian food items with market potential in Hong Kong.

BNI Hong Kong general manager Endah Tjahyani said that processed food products are:

one of the largest components of Indonesia's exports to Hong Kong. This is also influenced

by the Hong Kong diaspora community, which is 90 percent dominated by Indonesian migrant workers.

Endah said that the Indonesia Pavilion at the 2022 Food Expo aimed to target people outside the diaspora community, namely citizens of Hong Kong. The pavilion served to inform visitors about spices and Indonesian cuisine that can compete with various products distributed in Hong Kong from other countries.

“BNI is constantly watching out for potential buyers that will bring micro, small and medium enterprises’ [MSME] products to Hong Kong, encouraging trade and helping Indonesian products enter and be accepted in the local market,” she added.

Endah and her team’s efforts in the Hong Kong market is in line with the Finance Ministry’s mandate to BNI as Indonesia’s global bank. The company’s flagship program BNI Xpora has had a considerable success throughout the middle of this year.

“Through BNI Xpora, we continue to look for MSMEs who might have the ability to penetrate the global market especially Hong Kong, which has a large diaspora population, as well as a role as a hub where food products from various countries gather,” she added.

In addition to the spice and food showcase, BNI and the Indonesian consulate general also invited potential buyers to see and try the products, with the aim of unlocking potential business opportunities through a business-matching process between buyers and sellers.

Indonesian Consul General for Hong Kong Ricky Suhendar said BNI’s participation in the 2022 Food Expo was an effort to introduce Indonesian food to the Hong Kong market. "We hope that the synergy between the Indonesian Consulate General and BNI and other Himbaras will encourage exports between Indonesia and Hong Kong,” he said.

The Indonesia Pavilion is located in the Public Hall of the Hong Kong Convention Centre. The Food Expo has over 430 exhibitors and also representatives from several countries represented by the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing Municipality of Mainland China, the Aomori Prefecture of Japan and the Japan External Trade Organization.

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