International Convention Exhibition (ICE) at BSD Tangerang, Indonesia was chosen to hold the 33rd Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) during the 24th - 28th October 2018. Hosted by the Ministry of Trade Indonesia, TEI 2018 was opened by H. E President Joko Widodo.
Founded in 1985, TEI 2018, themed Creating Products for Global Opportunities, recorded USD 1,39 Billion worth of transaction up to its fourth day. Attended by hundreds of exhibitors, TEI 2018 attracted more than 25,000 visitors which comprised of more than 20,000 domestic buyers and 5,000 international buyers as calculated only until its third day.
Among those hundreds of exhibitors was the East Luwu District-Owned Business Entity, PT. Bumi Timur Agro, which showcased Pepper from East Luwu. East Luwu is one of the regencies in South Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. Though not as famous as Lampung or Bangka Belitung, South Sulawesi is not a new player in the pepper industry. Began in the 1970s, pepper cultivation in South Sulawesi has grown extensively especially in East Luwu regency. East Luwu regency recorded a total production of 4,324 Tons in a year with total of 5,872 Ha of pepper cultivated area (Department of Agriculture, 2017). From the 11 Sub-Districts in East Luwu Regency, Towuti has the most extensive pepper cultivated area with 3,968 Ha in which produces an estimate of 3,223 tons per year.
