Jakarta. The Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI), also known as the Indonesia Eximbank, recently helped Indonesian small businesses export its goods to Canada. 

LPEI is also working alongside the trade attaché in Ottawa, the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center in Vancouver, the Indonesian Diaspora in Canada and Maharani Craft (CPNE Alumni – Assisted by LPEI). 

A total of 19 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from Bali, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Jakarta officially become exporters. These businesses exported over 3,300 handicraft goods. LPEI symbolically sent off the exported goods in Bandung on Tuesday.

This is a continuation of the sample delivery, as well as the 2024 Toronto Gift Show that took place earlier this year. Indonesian diaspora Hartati Suganda, owner of Cantiq Living, became the buyer. Hartati also helped promote environmentally friendly goods and home decor --made in Indonesia– to the Canadian market.

Maqin U Norhadi, the LPEI managing director for business development, said that the agency was not only helping SMEs to start exporting overseas. However, LPEI helps SMEs address their logistics cost barriers, as well as create an ecosystem to encourage sustainable export. This ecosystem is expected to boost LPEI’s partners’ exports and make Indonesian goods more competitive in price.

“Sending off this export shows that LPEI’s ecosystem is functioning well. LPEI helps facilitate exporters expand its markets, and we support business-matching activities by having our ecosystem collaborate with the Indonesian diaspora to promote Indonesian SME goods to the buyers overseas,” Maqin was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

Utomo Kuntjoro, who was present at the joint export release representing Hartati Suganda, owner of Cantiq Living, also commented on the partnership.

"We hope the relations between SMEs, the Indonesian diaspora, trade attaché, and the ITPC in the export ecosystem can help Indonesian SMEs overcome their obstacles. So Indonesian products can compete in the global market,” Hartati said.

Several SMEs that have successfully exported their products to Canada include Greater Goods, Sakha, Riani Rattan, Sheo Home Living, Maharani Craft, Machastore, Bali Handy, Orchid, Sahana Craft, and Matahari Cahaya Dewata from Bali; Mawar Ketak and Unique Lombok from NTB; Mendong Jaya, Kitchen Studio, and Dilmoni Citra Mebel Indonesia from Cirebon, West Java; as well as Multi Creative Furnindo, Sabila Craft from Central Java, and Sabila Artshop and Raya Craft from Cirebon.

Maharani Craft’s owner Irene Setiawati thanked LPEI’s commitment to helping SMEs export.

“Maharani Craft is already exporting to Japan, the US, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Thanks to LPEI's support for export-oriented SMEs, such as Maharani Craft, we have now secured a new market, namely Canada. And this has become an impetus for sustainable exports, while also improving SMEs’ welfare,” Irene said.

Throughout 2023, LPEI has distributed financing to export-oriented small and medium enterprises, totaling Rp 14.5 trillion and reaching over 170 export destination countries. The financing also generated 613 new exporters. LPEI’s so-called special export initiative has also reached over 90 products.