Senator and Chairman of the Bali Promotion Board, Wika, emphasized the importance of cross-sector synergy in developing domestic cigar products. He highlighted the vast available market share, given that Bali received around 16 million tourist visits last year, consisting of 7 million foreign tourists and approximately 9 million domestic tourists. In his view, Indonesian cigar products are not inferior in quality to imported products from Cuba or America, so it is time for the domestic market to make greater use of locally grown tobacco packaged professionally. He also fully supports the Indonesia Cigar Festival (ICF), held for the first time as a platform for education and promotion for MSMEs.
The ICF aims to expand the market abroad by positioning Bali as the center of Asia's cigar industry. The committee noted a number of export cooperation opportunities currently being explored, including with Timor Leste, Russia, China, and India, which will be followed up through a meeting of ASEAN delegates in Serangan on October 3. In addition, a number of Bali entrepreneurs grouped under six local brands have taken part in Intertabak Germany alongside PTPN from Sumatra. The ICF is expected to unite all stakeholders — from farmers, producers, and MSME players to the government — in order to push Indonesian cigars to a higher level and compete in the global market. Red.