The Ministry of Agriculture has praised PT Indowooyang for sourcing sweet potatoes from local farmers for export to Japan and South Korea, exporting around 500,000 tons annually. “With the invocation of Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, we officially launch the export of sweet potatoes to Japan and South Korea, totaling 500,000 tons annually from Cirebon. On behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Andi Amran Sulaiman, I extend my congratulations and best wishes,” said Suwandi, Director General of Food Crops at the Ministry of Agriculture, before breaking a small jar in front of the truck transporting the sweet potatoes at PT Indowooyang’s facility in Cirebon, West Java, on Tuesday morning, 2 July. Suwandi highlighted that Japan and South Korea are the primary markets for sweet potatoes exported by PT Indowooyang. Nationally, sweet potato exports have been increasing year by year, recently averaging 14,000 tons valued at IDR 200 billion. He emphasized that PT Indowooyang’s efforts significantly contribute to the welfare of farmers in major sweet potato-producing regions, including West Java, East Java, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sumatra, and other areas. “Indonesia does not import sweet potatoes; on the contrary, it exports them,” Suwandi stated.
He also conveyed Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman's directive to boost the export quota of local food products and promote domestic consumption of local produce to honor the hard work of Indonesian farmers. “Indonesia plants sweet potatoes on approximately 80,000 hectares annually, yielding 1.5 million tons per year. The local sweet potatoes are of excellent taste and beneficial for health,” Suwandi explained. Minister Sulaiman is also encouraging the increased production of other local crops such as sorghum, cassava, corn, soybeans, and mung beans. Putut Prastowo, Production Manager of PT Indowooyang, expressed gratitude for the Ministry’s support and announced plans to expand sweet potato exports to new markets in Europe and America. Currently, PT Indowooyang processes 50,000 tons of sweet potatoes per day, with plans to increase capacity to 70,000 tons per day. Since 2012, the company has also been exporting processed sweet potato products, including paste, variously shaped pieces (sticks and cubes), and mixed products with butter or milk, derived from three sweet potato varieties: ase putih, beniazuma, and rancing (Cilembu). PT Indowooyang now produces 500 tons of these processed products monthly, a significant increase since the company's inception.
