President Susilo says handicraft industry set to shine
21 Apr '06
2 min read
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono President expects more innovations to be adopted in terms of product quality and marketing strategies in order to enhance the handicraft industry to amplify its contribution to the overall growth of the economy of the country.
The handicraft industry has enormous opportunities to fill the gap of world drive for sector products.
Opening the eighth Jakarta International Handicrafts Trade Fair he said that the fair represents a great promotional opportunity for boosting sales and exports of handicraft products.
Potential of the industry was evident from, for example, the current demand for antique-style furniture. Handicraft exports grew slightly by 4.06 percent last year from US$447 million to $465.1 million, the President said.
Mari E Pangestu, Trade Minister added that handicraft industry is very important for Indonesia as it employed large number of workers in the small-scale cottage industries which exports about 3,500 handicraft products.
Rudi Lengkong, Chairman, Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Producers Association (ASEPHI) said the Government had not been providing sufficient support to the handicraft sector, and specifically urged enforcing strict law against unlawful loggers as their actions reduced the supply of raw materials for the handicraft industry.
In the previous year, the turnover was worth US $5.12 million in trade deals and Rp 51.8 billion in retail sales during the fair held at the Jakarta Convention Center and this year, has attracted hundreds of buyers from several countries with expectations of a much higher turnout.
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