Indonesian Spice Trade

DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDONESIAN SPICE TRADE

The development of the spice trade in Indonesia has impacted global trade in a meaningful and significant way. Spices are a way of life and are used to capture the cultural diversity of agricultural products available in the wealthy islands of Indonesia. Almost every country is envious to obtain the unique variety of condiments that brings Indonesian culinary dishes to a whole new level.

The first trading routes in Indonesia were originally influenced from the cultural and traditional expressions of the Indians, Chinese and Southeast Asians. Since Indonesia was an individual yet prosper country with an abundant number of islands, many foreign merchants and traders sought to visit the land as to share

They then established the Dutch VOC (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) in 1602, which is also known as the Dutch East India Company, for the reason of better efficiency and organized practices in trade. [13] The VOC was considered as the first publicized world trading company to negotiate shares and arrange shipping settlements. The Dutch were clever in shipbuilding and marine welfares, allowing them to govern navigation pathways and spice transportation excellently. Due to the huge success of the VOC foundation, many merchants and traders coming from Europe collaborated with the Netherlands in order to obtain some of the world’s most consummate spices and valuables. The VOC monopolized Indonesian trade and claimed the islands as their own, invading common spice areas such as the Banda and Maluku islands in 1603. Since their successful habitation in Eastern Indonesia, the Dutch government wanted to expand their territory by occupying the other islands of the Indonesian archipelago including Java. They claimed authority over Batavia, which is presently known as Jakarta, where the Sunda Kelapa harbor was located. [10] Batavia was then acknowledged as the ‘heart’ of VOC’s Asian trade integration. The VOC, led by the cruel Dutch commander Jan Pieterszoon Coen, introduced sugar and coffee cultivations or

It was the European Discovery age that humans had found a way to exchange commodities and rare merchandise with countries all over the world. During the VOC colonization, Indonesia has become the center for major spice trade between foreign merchants and natives. Indonesia became one of the best prominent trading sites in Southeast Asia. The Europeans, Arabs and Chinese frequently visited the Strait of Malacca between present-day Malaysia and Sumatera as well as travelling through the route of the South China Sea to search for goods to exchange and purchase. The spice trade that circulated between the Southeast Asia region was also merged with the Chinese silk and tea trade as well as India’s cotton and spice supply trade for the British colonies. The Mexican and Caribbean Islands were also a part of the spice supply