Study: $359.4 million in Indonesian imports across seven export categories where Jordan has opportunities
Amman5 min read
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A specialized study on entering the Indonesian market has revealed that Jordan has opportunities to boost its exports there, particularly in dates, chocolate, biscuits, tahini, and sesame preparations, as Indonesian market imports of seven priority export categories reached $359.4 million in 2024.
According to the study prepared by the Jordan Export House in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, Jordan has an existing export base in a number of these categories. Its exports of dates to global markets amounted to $71.9 million, chocolate and biscuits $48.2 million, tahini and sesame preparations $36.1 million, while its exports of sauces, spices, and food preparations reached approximately $3 million.
The study noted that Jordanian dates, particularly luxury Medjool dates, represent one of the most prominent opportunities to enter the Indonesian market, which imported $79.7 million worth of dates in 2024, whereas the Kingdom's date exports to Indonesia did not exceed $57.2 thousand, compared to $206.6 thousand in 2023.
It recommended focusing on Jordanian Medjool dates, highlighting the country of origin, quality grades, and targeting specialized importers, while completing accreditation and registration requirements prior to shipment, and securing product placement in retail outlets four to five months before the Ramadan shopping season.
Jordan's exports of chocolate and biscuits to global markets reached $48.2 million, against Indonesian imports in both categories worth $114.7 million in 2024, registering an 8.9 percent growth. Exports of tahini and sesame preparations to global markets reached $36.1 million, while Indonesia's imports of these products reached $21.4 million in 2024, growing by 15.6 percent.
In the sauces, spices, and food preparations sector, Indonesia's imports reached $105.4 million in 2024, growing by 12.8 percent, compared to Jordanian exports to global markets of about $3 million, highlighting a gap between market demand and current Jordanian export capacity.
On the other hand, opportunities for extra virgin olive oil face stiff competition from Italy and Spain, which together account for about 91 percent of Indonesia's olive oil imports, while China dominates 86 percent of the tomato preparation market.
The study showed that the presence of Jordanian products in the Indonesian market remains limited, as Indonesia's imports from Jordan within the food and agricultural product categories did not exceed $960 thousand in 2024, with a 0.003 percent share, despite Indonesia's total imports of these products reaching $28.4 billion.
Indonesia's total merchandise imports reached $235.1 billion in 2024, an increase of 5.4 percent compared to 2023, while food and agricultural imports rose by 6.4 percent.
The study emphasized that the entry of Jordanian products is not only linked to demand volume, but also to accreditation and registration requirements and price competitiveness, as priority categories are subject to a basic custom duty of 5 percent.
It pointed out that completing halal requirements and registration with the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority are two essential prerequisites before products reach retail outlets, noting that two Jordanian halal certification bodies, HCP and the T&Q International Halal Center, were awaiting evaluation by the Indonesian authority at the time of the study.
The study estimated the compliance period before market launch at about 77 working days, including halal certification and product registration procedures, in addition to the time required for product testing by the importer, which can range from a week to several months.
It stressed the importance of carefully selecting the Indonesian importer, because product registration with the Indonesian authority is in the importer's name, and transferring the registration to another importer takes from two to four months, making the choice of a local partner a crucial decision for successful market entry.
The study suggested implementing a phased plan starting with selecting three to five specialized importers, then completing halal certificates and technical documents, sending samples for testing, and registering products, leading to a trial shipment within the first six months, in preparation for negotiating long-term supply agreements.
Regarding the pharmaceutical sector, the study recommended focusing on partnerships, licensing agreements, and contract manufacturing with licensed Indonesian companies rather than direct export, noting that Indonesia's pharmaceutical imports within the specific tariff line in the study amounted to $580.7 million.
The study concluded that boosting Jordanian exports to Indonesia requires prioritizing the completion of accreditation and registration requirements, building partnerships with local importers, and targeting categories where Jordan has an export base and production expertise, foremost among them dates and specialized food products, which will help translate demand opportunities into actual export contracts.
This month, the Jordan Export House, in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, launched the results of studies for entering five promising export markets: Indonesia, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Kenya, and Malaysia.
The results indicated that the targetable market size in those countries is about $2.5 billion, providing scope to increase Jordanian exports and capitalize on available opportunities, especially since Jordanian factories already export their products to global markets characterized by high competitive requirements.
