Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – A Saudi company, Battlah Cooperation for Operation and Maintenance, has said it would import rice from Indonesia.

The plan was strengthened by the online signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on trade cooperation between President Director of Battlah Cooperation Muhammad Husein and Director of Indonesian Sang Hyang Seri Karyawan Gunarso at the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah on Tuesday (June 15).

The MoU is the first step in trading Indonesia's mainstay commodities, which have huge opportunities in the Saudi market.

“This first export of rice will be a stepping stone to expand opportunities for other products. Apart from rice, they (Battlah Corporation) also import cocoa beans, spices, coffee and tea," said the Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah, Eko Hartono.

With many Indonesians living in Saudi Arabia, and the large number of pilgrims from Indonesia who consume rice, importing rice from Indonesia in the midst of the pandemic is the right step.

Sang Hyang Seri’s Director said he was optimistic that the MoU signed by the two companies would be the beginning to increase the scale of greater cooperation between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, especially to meet the needs of pilgrims from Indonesia for hajj and umrah (minor hajj).

The Indonesian company is committed to maintaining the quantity and quality of its rice production as the first export product to the Saudi Arabian market.

Karyawan said that the price of Indonesian rice is slightly higher than Thai and Vietnamese rice because the former has superior taste.

In order to broaden the scope of this cooperation, Muhammad Husein proposed to immediately establish a special team that functions to intensify communication to follow up the trade cooperation.

Both parties agreed to immediately follow up the MoU to the signing of a Commercial Agreement in the coming days.

“Of course, as a business entity in Saudi Arabia, what we prioritize is quality and (competitive) price. We are open, and we have explored a number of cocoa and spice producers. However, if this cooperation goes well, we will choose to cooperate with Indonesia," said Battlah’s spokesperson.

Battlah Cooperation for Operation and Maintenance is a company headquartered in the Holy City of Makkah, which is engaged in trading and general contracting, including import, shipping, distribution and marketing.

Reporting by Indonesia Window