JAKARTA: The Indonesia Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Johannesburg has been making efforts to expand the market for the countrys products in South Africa. In this context, it recently held a meeting with the Muslim business community in South Africa. “The Minara Chamber of Commerce is known as the biggest Muslim business community in Durban. We have established closer communication to promote Indonesian products in South Africa,” ITPC Johannesburg head Pontas Tobing said in a press statement received here on Friday.
Together with the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Pretoria and the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Cape Town, the ITPC cooperated with the Minara Chamber of Commerce and held two simultaneous events, namely the “Indonesian Business Gathering” and the “In-store Promotion,” on May 17-18, in Durban, South Africa.
Pontas explained that during the two-day events, the KBRI Pretoria and the KJRI Cape Town organized a breakfast business meeting and a visit to the international import port, Dube Trade Port, in Durban. Apart from these, a meeting was also held by the Kuazulu Natal Trade Investment as the representative of the government in Durban. A gala dinner with business makers in Durban, a coffee presentation or toasting and a site visit to a number of Indonesian product importers in Pietermaritzburg were also organized. “All these activities were in line with the efforts to achieve non oil/gas export target that Indonesia wants to achieve in South Africa,” Indonesian Ambassador to South Africa Suprapto Martosoetomo informed.
Indonesia also presented various potential products, suitable for the South African export market, at the in-store promotional event held at Hotel Pavilion in Durban. Indonesian packaged food and drink products, handicraft products, shoes, tires and coffee drinks attracted the attention the African people. The ITPC Johannesburg also agreed to three South African importers becoming the recipient candidates for the Primaduta Award, namely the Willowton Group (palm oil), Sealake Industries (palm oil) and Malls Tiles (ceramics).
The ITPC Johannesburg also succeeded in encouraging Melonwoods company to import more from Indonesia. Melonwoods has already imported one container of handicraft and furniture products from Indonesia. It has committed to increasing its imports to four containers over the next several orders. The ITPC Johannesburg also invited the members of the Minara Chamber of Commerce to take part in the 31st Indonesian Trade Expo which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 12-16, 2016.
The Indonesian trade balance with South Africa in the January-December 2015 period experienced a surplus of US$434.2 million, down by 50.72 percent from the previous year when it stood at US$881 million. The total bilateral trade volume was recorded at $898.06 million, down 52.18 percent from the same period in the previous year when it was recorded at $1.9 billion.
Indonesias exports to South Africa in 2015 stood at $666.12 million, down by 51.71 percent from the 2014 figure of $1.4 billion. In the meantime, its imports from that country in 2015 also dropped by 53.47 percent from $498.49 million to $231.94 million in 2015.
