Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy Minister of Trade Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri said that Indonesian halal food and beverage (F&B) products have significant potential to expand into the Middle East market.According to Roro, the strong demand for halal products in the Middle Eastern market presents an opportunity that F&B businesses can leverage to increase exports.”For halal F&B products, for example, we have a substantial market in the Middle East,” she said in Jakarta on Tuesday.Roro stated the potential for expanding Indonesian F&B products into international markets was not limited to specific countries or regions.She added that the opportunities exist across various markets and can be pursued based on the characteristics of the products.Furthermore, Roro said several Indonesian food products have already begun expanding into overseas markets.She cited several Indonesian restaurants that had opened branches abroad, including Padang restaurants that had expanded into the European Union.”So there is a wide variety, and there is a lot of potential abroad,” she said.To support such market penetration, she continued, the Ministry of Trade is seeking to facilitate Indonesian F&B businesses that are ready to export.She said that the government also maintains a network of trade representatives in 33 countries through Trade Attaches and Indonesian Trade Promotion Centers (ITPC). The network can be utilized by Indonesian businesses and prospective buyers in international markets.She also saw the Indonesian diaspora as a potential gateway for national F&B products.While living abroad, she said, the Indonesian diaspora was considered to retain a demand for Indonesian food and authentic Indonesian flavors.”Even though our diaspora lives abroad, they will certainly still have Indonesian tastes. So, they need to source products from Indonesia,” she said.