Indonesia Explores Opportunities To Boost Non-oil, Gas Exports To Philippines

id Indonesia Explores Opportunities To Boost Non-oil, Gas Exports To Philippines

Indonesia Explores Opportunities To Boost Non-oil, Gas Exports To Philippines

Illustration. One of Agricultural Products. (Antara)

Jakarta, (Antara) - Indonesia is exploring opportunities to increase its exports of non-oil and gas products to the Philippines by facilitating the Indonesia-Philippines Business Matching Session that brings together domestic entrepreneurs and potential buyers.

Director General of National Export Development, Ministry of Trade, Arlinda, said the Indonesia-Philippines Business Matching Session aims to improve Indonesia's trade relations with the Philippines, especially between the Indonesian eastern region and southern Philippines.

"Indonesia and the Philippines can explore potential business opportunities that can strengthen trade, enhance business cooperation, and support the economies of both countries," Arlinda noted in a statement received by Antara here on Thursday (Sept 7).

She said the government is optimistic that the business cooperation would increase, as there are several Indonesian commodities having high potential to boost bilateral trade. The Philippine business delegates have expressed interest in national products: food products, including cornmeal, agricultural products, fertilizers, cement, coconut products, and steel.

At the business matching session, attended by 33 Indonesian and 14 Filipino businesses, an agreement was inked between PT. Sement Indonesia, the national cement company, and Certuro Structural Specialist Inc. The cooperation will come into effect from October 2017.

The business matching session is being held as part of the efforts of business entrepreneurs of Mindanao, the Philippines, to explore business opportunities between both nations as well as to follow up on a forum on the use of sea lanes between Indonesia and Philippines that was held in Bogor, West Java, in August 2017.

The Philippines is Indonesia's fifth-largest trading partner in Southeast Asia. The total value of trade of non-oil and gas products between Indonesia and the Philippines had reached US$6.07 billion in 2016 and US$2.84 billion during the January-May 2017 period.

The visit of Filipino business players to Indonesia also aims to support the load factor of the Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) service on the Davao-General Santos-Bitung route.

Connectivity infrastructure for the Ro-Ro service on the Bitung-Davao City route was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo and President Duterte on April 30, 2017, at the Kudos Port, Davao City, the Philippines.

The sea lane is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN's) flagship project to open connectivity among its member countries as well as help Indonesia and the Philippines to build connectivity among ASEAN countries in accordance with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community.

"The Ro-Ro service on the Bitung-Davao City route can serve as a good alternative to the international trading routes for our business community," Arlinda said. (*)

Editor: Vicha Faradika