Bank Indonesia (BI) West Java Representative Office encourages the strengthening of coffee exports, because the potential for coffee in West Java is very large. Currently, coffee exports from West Java are only around 40 million US dollars per year. "In terms of the actual potential of West Java, it is quite large. If we look at Vietnam, which used to learn to grow coffee from us, it has been able to export up to 2 billion dollars per year, Indonesia should also be able to," said Head of BI West Java, Herawanto at the Cup of Excellence series of events. COE) at PVJ Mall, Bandung City, this weekend. Herawanto said, West Java has a geographical advantage which consists of a cluster of mountains. The highland conditions are favorable for growing various types of coffee. Currently, there are four types of coffee that can be asked in West Java. "We have to go all out to encourage commodities such as coffee. Because without everyone's help, West Java's potential will be difficult to develop. Moreover, the West Java economy is the third largest economic contributor nationally with a share of 13.5 percent of Indonesia's GDP," he said.
However, he said, to optimize the momentum of West Java's economic recovery, particularly through encouraging exports and promoting import substitution. Namely, through the development of commodities that have great potential to penetrate the global market as well as substitute for imported products in the domestic market. According to him, one of West Java's export commodities that has the potential to continue to be developed is coffee which has other than export competitiveness. This is as indicated by the high export value of coffee compared to the value of its imports, as well as its marketability as a substitute for imported coffee sold in the domestic market. "The Cup of Excellence series, which is a synergy between Bank Indonesia West Java with the West Java Provincial Government and the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI) and supported by the West Java Regional OJK, banks and coffee activists, is one of the strategic efforts to develop specialty coffee. West Java towards the global market," he explained. Meanwhile, according to the Head of West Java Bappeda Ferry Sofwan Arif, since 2014 West Java has spread more than 15 million coffee seeds. Currently, the coffee seeds have begun to be harvested with quite good quality. "We continue to push this coffee from downstream to upstream so that our exports increase. But don't forget, there are also quite a lot of local needs. This is an opportunity for West Java coffee," he said.
