VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Embassy in Cairo tries to increase Indonesian coffee exports to Egypt through a “Coffee Diplomacy”  promotion program in four provinces of Egypt. The embassy in its written statement on Saturday (31/7) stated  that the Coffee Diplomacy activity is aimed at fostering relations and maintaining the loyalty of Egyptian importers to Indonesian coffee. It hopes that Indonesia's coffee imports will increase, both in quantity and variety, such as Robusta and Arabica. Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt, Lutfi Rauf, while visiting the Zahret El Bon Brazili coffee factory in Sharqiya Province on Thursday (29/7) explained that coffee is increasingly loved in Egypt. Therefore,  it needs to intensify coffee plantations in Indonesia, which can produce selected and quality coffee beans .

According to Chairman of Zahret El Bon Brazili, Hassan Fawzy, he has carried out coffee business with Indonesia since 1985. The coffee business that he leads has been able to serve the coffee market in Egypt nationally and internationally. He expressed his appreciation to the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo that continuously fosters and supports coffee transactions with Indonesia. Indonesian representatives in Cairo carry out intensive guidance to coffee companies in Egypt in a bid to strengthen friendly relations and closer  cooperation  from year to year. Coffee Diplomacy was continued by visiting the Vacakis coffee factory in the Alexandria area on Friday (30/7).

Several coffee companies, such as Bayt El Bon in Cairo, Knuz El Bon in Giza Province, Zahret El Bon Brazili, and Vacakis Coffee, are currently expanding to increase the processing capacity of coffee imported from Indonesia. Based on the Egypt's Central Agency for Mobilization and Public Statistics ,CAPMAS, Indonesia's coffee exports with the HS code 0901 to Egypt in the January-March 2021 period, still ranks first with a value of US$18.16 million  or around Rp262.2 billion or up 6.56 percent from the same period in 2020.

Meanwhile, based on the report from the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, in the January-May 2021 period, Indonesian coffee exports to Egypt reached US$31.22 million or around Rp450.8 billion or it rose 38.74 percent compared to the same period in 2020.

A proud achievement was made by Indonesian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics. Not only medals, but also bicycles made in Indonesia make the Indonesian public proud because the quality of the bikes is trusted by world athletes. Thrill bikes made by PT Indonesia Bike Works are used for the BMX number of bicycle racing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. PT Indonesia Bike Works is a company located in Gresik, East Java. This bicycle made by Gresik was apparently used at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Two Thrill BMX Athletes representing France and Latvia who competed in the Women's BMX Race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics used thrill bikes made in Indonesia. Both athletes are national BMX champions in their respective countries. Vineta is a UCI ranked BMX rider fourth in the world as of June 2021. He is the only representative from Latvia to participate in the BMX Race Women Elite, accompanying Helvijs Babris for the same category in Men Elite. Meanwhile, the representative from France, Etienne is ranked 12th in the world as of June 2021. This 23-year-old racer has won the World Championship BMX Race championship title.

Both rode bicycles whose brand is the same, namely Thrill Bicycle. More precisely, they will be using Thrill bikes with the Thrill Havoc series. This series itself has succeeded in becoming a capable fighting machine for BMX Race riders. PT Indonesia Bike Works was founded in 2012 to meet the demand for mid-high end bicycles. It carries its own brands, namely Thrill and Tabibitho.

ASEAN now  has a new dialogue partner. The addition came after Britain officially agreed to become an ASEAN dialogue partner which previously consisted of only China, the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and New Zealand.

The country has proposed to become an ASEAN dialogue partner since June 2020.  By becoming a Dialogue Partner, the UK will formalize its relationship with ASEAN, including attending the annual Foreign and Economic Ministers' meeting and other Ministerial-level meetings.

Britain's participation as a dialogue partner of ASEAN, can make the 10-member organization expand the discourse on Cooperation and play its role not only in the ASEAN region but beyond. As is known, the UK is a country that has considerable influence in the European Union. It is also very likely, the UK's participation as a dialogue partner, will be able to increase understanding and cooperation for the Indo Pacific region. ASEAN can discuss more broadly important issues such as transnational crimes and maritime security. England in history was recorded as a country with not so wide land and sea area, yet  had triumphed in the sea due to  to its naval power. Thanks to its wide influence, English has now become the main  international language of communication and has become the main foreign language taught in schools, including in Indonesia.

But in addition to the benefits that ASEAN will get, the UK can actually benefit from its status as an ASEAN dialogue partner. Britain's exit from the European Union membership which brings economic consequences, is very possible to be balanced by becoming a dialogue partner of ASEAN which consists of 10 countries, including Indonesia. Data shows that the value of trade between the UK and ASEAN in more than a year until the last quarter  of the 2021 is worth more than 32.3 billion euros.

The principle of mutual complementarity, mutual giving, and mutual acceptance and seeking joint solutions to increase benefits, must always be put forward in relations between countries. Be it bilaterally, multilaterally, or through regional organizations.

If someone visits Polewali Bandar Regency in West Sulawesi, they are recommended to try to enjoy one of its special foods, namely Golla Kumbu. The typical snack is sweet and sticky. The main ingredients of the typical food are glutinous rice, young coconut, roasted peanuts and brown sugar. When it has been processed, Golla Kambu is wrapped in dry banana leaves. With its uniqueness, Golla Kambu can last a long time even though it does not use preservatives.

When eaten, Golla Kambu gives a sweet taste sensation and also a savory taste from peanuts and grated coconut. It tastes even more delicious, when accompanied by a glass of fresh tea or coffee. During the month of Ramadan, this snack is often served as a complement to the iftar menu because its sweet taste is believed to be able to restore energy after a day of enduring thirst and hunger. Thereby in the month of fasting, the demand for Golla Kambu usually increases many times compared to normal days.

Golla Kambu can be found and enjoyed every day at a number of traditional food centers in Polewali, the central government of the Polman. The famous Golla Kambu production center is in the Botto area, which is on the edge of the Polman road to Majene. At Botto, Golla Kambu is sold as a typical Mandar souvenir. It is usually offered to tourists in the form of plastic wraps containing 8 to 10 small packs. In this one plastic package, sellers usually offer it at a price between Rp. 10,000 to Rp. 20,000. To attract more buyers, the makers of Gallo Kambu have also started creating their products with durian flavour. This creation is called Baje durian with a higher price than the original Golla Kambu. Golla Kambu can also be purchased at the Small and Medium Business Gallery Center, owned by the Office of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Polman Regency Government, which is located on Jalan Andi Tepu, Polewali District. The location of the sales center for SME products is about 1 kilometer from the Polman Central Market or 5 kilometers from the Tipalayo Main Terminal.