Footwear products made by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from Surabaya have succeeded in making a new achievement in the export market. A total of 8,872 pairs of footwear products were officially sent to Kuwait with a transaction value of USD 38,000 or equivalent to IDR 618 million, marking the first export to the Gulf country. The Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia said that this first export is concrete evidence of the competitiveness of local Indonesian products, especially from the MSME sector. The exported products are the production results of CV Rumah Jeddiah, one of the MSMEs that focuses on the footwear industry and has previous export experience.
This MSME is recorded as collaborating with more than 60 small business partners from Mojokerto, Sidoarjo, and Surabaya and involving more than 800 local craftsmen in the production process. The central government expressed its appreciation for the success of CV Rumah Jeddiah in strengthening the position of Indonesian MSMEs in the international market. According to an official statement, this export is expected to inspire other MSMEs to also penetrate the global market, especially in the Middle East region which is still wide open. The Ministry of Trade also emphasized that various supports have been prepared, ranging from training, facilitating international exhibitions, trade promotions, to business matching and pitching with foreign buyers. Data from the ministry shows that during January to March 2025, Indonesia's exports to Kuwait reached USD 88.22 million, while imports from Kuwait were USD 118.78 million. Total trade during that period reached USD 207 million. Trade between the two countries grew by an average of 15.5% per year.
