Badung, Bali (ANTARA) – Indonesia's Ministry of Trade is expanding export market penetration into Central Asia and Africa as part of efforts to boost the country's export performance.”These are major markets that we must optimize,” Deputy Trade Minister Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri said on the sidelines of a send-off ceremony for a shipment of snake fruit (salak) for export in Kuta, Bali, on Thursday.According to her, diversifying export destinations is expected to strengthen Indonesia's export performance following the government's recent ratification of trade agreements such as the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA), as well as the Indonesia-Peru and Indonesia-Canada CEPAs.Dyah Roro noted that tropical fruits such as snake fruit are among the commodities with strong export potential.She also encouraged businesses to increase innovation by processing raw materials into finished products through downstreaming, saying the approach could generate greater economic value.Bali, for instance, possesses tropical fruit export potential, alongside commodities like coffee and chocolate that can be processed and packaged as premium products, she added.This export market expansion is also intended to help Indonesia navigate global economic uncertainties affected by trade tensions and geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East.Dyah Roro emphasized that broader market access requires collaboration among stakeholders at both the central and regional levels.Data from the Trade Ministry shows Indonesia's export value reached US$282.91 billion in 2025, an increase from the US$266.52 billion recorded in 2024.The average annual growth trend for the 2021–2025 period stands at 3.12 percent.Meanwhile, she noted that Indonesia's trade also recorded a surplus of US$3.58 billion for the January–June 2026 period.In 2024, Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of US$31 billion, which increased to US$41 billion in 2025.Meanwhile, she said Indonesia's exports had reached US$280 billion so far in 2026, moving toward the government's full-year target of US$315 billion.