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Ministry awards SMEs for creative food innovation
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Creative palate: Several winners of the Trade Ministry's "UKM Pangan Awards" gather onstage during a ceremony in Jakarta on Nov. 21. A total of 314 products submitted for the awards by various small and medium enterprises, locally known as UKM, with 20 of them short-listed as winners. (JP/Winny Tang)
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n a bid to develop the country’s culinary industry, the Trade Ministry, supported by state-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), on Monday awarded 20 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for creating innovative products with promising commercial value.
The recipients of the so-called “UKM Pangan Awards” were divided into two groups: those who won the general category awards for ready-to-eat products, packaged beverages, snacks and condiments; and those who won the special category awards for regional specialty products, new product inventions and innovations from processed tropical fruits.
The organizers handed a total of Rp 250 million (US$18,666) of cash prizes to the winners.
“The aim of the award is to motivate SMEs so they can develop their creativity and innovation, originating from Indonesia’s traditions and cultural values,” Trade Ministry's director general for domestic trade Oke Nurwan said.
From a total of 314 products submitted for the awards, 20 were short-listed by a team of judges consisting of experts and professionals in the food industry. The judging period lasted for about six months.
One of the award winners is Gustianti, who created an orange kalamansi syrup. The product, which Gustianti sells online, is made from oranges that can only be found in Bengkulu, South Sumatra.
“After this contest, I hope that my products can be marketed at modern retail stores so I can reach out to more customers,” Gustianti told The Jakarta Post.
Among other innovative products that won awards were spaghetti kelor, which is a type of noodle made from kelor (Moringa oleifera) leaves; ketupatkoe, instant rice cones that can be made as easy as fast as making instant noodles; and otak-otak bandeng (fish cakes made from milkfish). (win/hwa)
