WA produce featured at Surabaya banquet

26/6/94

A banquet in Surabaya last night for 300 representatives of the hospitality, food service, retail and government sectors is certain to lead to an increase in the consumption of Western Australian foods in East Java.

The function, hosted by Deputy Premier Hendy Cowan, was held as part of a three-day trade exhibition, 'Australia Comes to Surabaya', organised by WA's Department of Commerce and Trade.

Surabaya is the capital city of East Java, which has a Sister-State relationship with WA.

Guests at the dinner were treated to a range of fresh food products and beverages drawn from WA's extensive agricultural industries.

A special 'Surabaya Sate', which combined tender slices of spiced crocodile and deep sea shark with slivers of kangaroo meat, commenced the dinner.

The expansive six-course menu also included a range of WA seafood, beef, lamb, fruit and vegetables and cheeses all prepared by chefs at Surabaya's Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Representatives from the 15 WA companies which supplied the menu mingled with the guests and fielded many trade inquiries for their products.

Some WA food products have already made inroads in East Java and elsewhere in Indonesia.

Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of high-grade wheat are imported from WA each year and converted to a variety of food products, including noodles and bread.  Surabaya's Bogasari flour mill - which Mr Cowan visited during his trip - takes about 900,000 tonnes of WA wheat, making it the largest single importer of our wheat.

Mr Cowan said WA needed to expand on such trade by diversifying the nature of its food exports.

"Production and export of quality food is a longstanding tradition in our State and one which we are keen to broaden by building an even stronger trade with East Java, particularly in fresh and processed foods," the Deputy Premier said.

Mr Cowan assured the East Javanese food trade that the high quality served at the banquet was 'the same quality which you can confidently offer your clients'.

All foods, beverages and floral arrangements featured last night were transported to Surabaya using standard commercial freight services.

Mr Cowan emphasised the 'fresh, clean and green' qualities of food produced in WA, a reference to the State's skills in getting perishable produce to markets quickly and also to its unpolluted growing environment.

"Clean foods at the peak of freshness are only four hours' flying time away from Indonesia, with 15 direct flights a week, including services to Surabaya," he said.

"There are also direct and fast shipping services to Suarabaya through Stateships.

"Indonesia, with an increasingly affluent population of 193 million people, represents a real growth area for WA food products."

Media contact:  Peter Jackson 222 9595