President Jokowi Opens Trade Expo Indonesia

Jakarta, (Antara Sumbar) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) officially inaugurated the 32nd Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) at the Indonesian Convention Exhibition in BSD City, Tangerang, Banten Province, on Wednesday (Oct 11).

The head of state outlined three efforts to boost Indonesian trade, the first being to improve product quality and the delivery of goods.

"Buyers should pay attention to the aspect of specifications of the goods that should be in accordance with the order. Another important factor is the budget, meaning the price should be competitive, and the delivery should be on time," Jokowi said in his opening remarks.

Secondly, Indonesian products must be able to penetrate non-traditional markets in Africa, Eurasia, the Middle East, South Asia, and South America, among others.

The president urged Indonesian embassies overseas to identify products in demand that Indonesian businessmen could meet.

The third aspect is taking precautionary steps and adapting to the current shift in trade from offline to online.

Digital change is unavoidable and should be embraced to boost the nation's trade, he added.

Jokowi was accompanied by Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita during the opening of TEI.

Several foreign businessmen are attending the expo. More than 700 Nigerian businessmen have confirmed their participation in the TEI being held on October 11-15, 2017.

Last year, the TEI had recorded trade transactions amounting to US$974.76 million, or Rp12.7 trillion. It further increased to $1.02 billion following trade deals after the expo, or an increase of 12 percent as compared to those in 2015.

This year, the TEI organizing committee has set a trade transaction target of $1.1 billion. (*)

Editor: Vicha Faradika