by Hayati Nupus
JAKARTA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Amid rows of booths showcasing flagship products from across Indonesia, the gaze of several visitors stopped at the silvery-white gleam of a jewellery display. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and brooches adorned with pearls, presented by North Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province, reflected the exhibition lights, captivating passersby.
Some visitors leaned closer, examining the fine details of each pearl while asking about their origins. Others busied themselves comparing prices with jewelry stores they had previously visited.
"Seawater pearls are one of our leading commodities," said Khairil Umam, an official at the North Lombok Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Agency, in an interview with Xinhua, recently.
The Apkasi (Association of Indonesian Regency Governments) Autonomy Expo 2025, held from Aug. 28 to Aug. 30 at ICE BSD in Tangerang, served as a major stage. Hundreds of regencies showcased their regional potential, from plantation harvests and tourism to micro, small, and medium enterprises' products and industrial parks. The goal was to promote local strengths while opening doors for new investment opportunities.
North Lombok confidently highlighted its prized seawater pearls. NTB has long been recognized as one of Indonesia's pearl cultivation hubs, with products that not only adorn women at home but also reach international markets.
Beyond pearls, the island east of Bali offers a complete package: the mighty Mount Rinjani, white and even pink-sand beaches, and exotic islets like Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air.
North Lombok also promoted Senaru Chocolate Village, an educational tourism site where visitors can witness cocoa processing firsthand, from raw beans to sweet, ready-to-eat treats.
"Besides chocolate, we also produce rice, cloves, coconuts, coffee, and even vanilla. Our local vanilla has already been exported to the United States and Japan," Khairil added.
Much of the region's resource management, he said, involves local communities. Corn, for instance, is cultivated under a plasma scheme in partnership with companies, ensuring that farmers remain actively engaged while gaining market certainty.
At another booth, Central Java's Sragen Regency offered a different flavor of innovation. It showcased combined agriculture, industrial zones, and MSME products in a modern style.
Among its highlights were canned foods based on local dishes such as bothok mlanding (fermented soybean with young melinjo leaves), bothok salted egg, goat tengkleng (Solonese bone soup) stew, and spicy eel sambal. With a shelf life of up to a year, these products are now being prepared for export.
"Our MSME products have reached the national market. Now, we are targeting overseas buyers," said Risna Nurdiana, a Sragen promotion officer.
Sragen already has a long export history, particularly in furniture and woodcraft, which regularly reach markets in the Netherlands, the United States, and Japan.
The regency is also preparing land across 12 districts for new industrial zones. To ease investor interest, local authorities have launched Sipelangi, a digital platform mapping available land, access, and business-to-business cooperation mechanisms.
Apkasi Chairman Bursah Zarnubi emphasized that the expo was more than a mere exhibition. "This is a strategic arena for real opportunities, the creation of new markets, and the formulation of concrete business plans that accelerate regional development," he said.
Every pearl's gleam, every whiff of chocolate, and every can of tengkleng stew presented at the expo symbolized more than just products. They embodied the aspirations of Indonesia's regions to break into global markets while strengthening local economies built on their own potential. ■
