The quality of Indonesian seafood products has proven to be able to attract European buyers. This was seen during the 22nd Conxemar International Frozen Seafood Fair which was held on 5-7 October 2021 at FundaciónInstitutoFeiral de Vigo (IFEVI), Vigo, Spain. At the annual international trade fair, seafood and marine products earn a potential transaction of USD 7.5 million or around Rp. 75.62 billion. "The Indonesian Trade Representative in Spain, namely the Madrid Trade Attaché and the Indonesian Trade Promotion (ITPC) Barcelona, are aggressively promoting Indonesian fisheries to attract world buyers, especially in the European region. It is proven by the nick of potential transactions in this exhibition which reached more than USD 7.5 million or around Rp 75.62 billion," said Madrid Trade AttacheNovita Sari.
Novita continued, the products that are most in demand at this exhibition include tuna, octopus, sardines and canned tuna, shrimp, crab meat, squid, and cuttlefish. "It is hoped that Indonesian exporters can meet this demand and the current high cost of logistics will not hinder the realization of this demand," he said. In this exhibition, the Indonesian Pavilion occupies the E8-Hall International zone of 75 m2 adjacent to several other countries such as Peru, Morocco, Australia, Ireland, Norway, Alaska, Ecuador, Panama, and Guinea-Bissau. A total of seven companies were displayed at the Indonesian Pavilion. Of these, six of them came from Indonesia and one company from Spain. Indonesian companies consist of PT Siger Jaya Abadi, CV Pacific Harvest, PT NuansaCiptaMagello, PT Fresh On Time Seafood, and PT SekarBumiTbk. Meanwhile, a Spanish company, Trade Solutions Seafood, has partnered with an Indonesian company since 1998. The featured Indonesian seafood products include crab meat, canned crab and sardines, squid, grouper filet, and frozen shrimp.
According to Novita, there were more than 200 requests for Indonesian products during the exhibition. The request came from the European region such as Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, and Russia; America and Latin America; Africa; and the Middle East such as Morocco, Algeria and Mauritius. The Conxemar Fair is an international trade show for frozen seafood and seafood products. This event brings together the best local, national and international producers and is attended by importers, exporters, processors, producers, distributors, and other supporting industries. This exhibition is also a place to find references, news, and the latest trends in the fisheries sector for some time to come. At the 22nd event this year, 486 participants from 32 countries occupied an exhibition area of 31,500 m2. During the three days of the event, it was recorded that more than 22 thousand people visited the Conxemar Fair. The visitors came from 95 countries around the world, with the largest number coming from Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and the Netherlands.
In the January-July 2021 period, Indonesia's exports to Spain reached USD 1.26 billion. This value shows an increase of 41.32 percent when compared to the same period the previous year. Meanwhile, in July 2021, Indonesia's exports to Spain were recorded at IDR 220.14 million, an increase of 10.94 percent compared to the previous month which was recorded at USD 198.43 million. Meanwhile, in the January-July 2021 period, exports of Indonesian fishery products with HS 03 to Spain were recorded at USD 9.33 million, an increase of 15.91 percent over the same period the previous year. In that period, the export of processed fishery products to Spain with HS 1604 was recorded at USD 8.39 million. "It is hoped that through Indonesia's participation in the 22nd Conxemar International Frozen Seafood Fair, it can increase market access for Indonesian fishery products in the future, not only in Europe, especially Spain, but also throughout the world," said Novita.
Novita added that the Spanish Trade Representative also socialized the 36th Digital Edition of Trade Expo Indonesia to visitors and the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation in the Pontevedra, Vigo and Vilagarcía de Arousa regions. "Visitors are quite interested in doing business missions to Indonesia and visiting Trade Expo Indonesia in the coming year," he concluded.
