Badung, Bali (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Trade is expanding export market penetration into Central Asia and Africa to boost the economic growth.”These are major markets that we must optimize,” Deputy Minister of Trade 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, this market diversification effort is expected to drive export performance, following the government's recent ratification of trade agreements such as the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EU-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 pursue downstream processing by transforming raw materials into value-added products, saying the approach could generate greater economic returns.Bali, for instance, has strong export potential not only for tropical fruits but also for commodities such as coffee and cocoa, which can be processed and packaged as premium products, she added.The export market expansion strategy is also intended to help Indonesia navigate global economic challenges stemming from trade tensions and geopolitical instability in the Middle East.Dyah Roro emphasized that expanding market access requires close collaboration among stakeholders at both the national and regional levels.Trade Ministry data shows that Indonesia's exports reached US$282.91 billion in 2025, up from US$266.52 billion in 2024, representing an average annual growth trend of 3.12 percent over the 2021–2025 period.Meanwhile, Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of US$3.58 billion during the January–June 2026 period.The country's annual trade surplus increased from US$31 billion in 2024 to US$41 billion in 2025.As of 2026, Indonesia's exports have reached US$280 billion, moving closer to the government's full-year target of US$315 billion, she added.