VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the fourth time held the Indonesia-Latin America and Caribbean Forum (INA-LAC). According to the plan, the forum which will be held in a hybrid (mixed) manner will take place on October 17-18 in Gading Serpong, Tangerang, Banten Province.

Special Staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Regional Diplomacy, Ngurah Swajaya, said President Joko Widodo's instructions were for diversification and increasing exports. This activity became the main background for the re-organization of the forum which was participated by countries in the Indonesia-Latin America and Caribbean region.

“One way to increase our economic growth. Apart from increasing exports, and investment, this is one of our ways," said Ngurah Swajaya in a press briefing, Friday (16/09/2022) in Jakarta.

Ngurah explained that every year the INA-LAC Forum is held to contribute to increasing the volume of trade cooperation in the two regions. Where business transactions recorded at each implementation of the INA-LAC Forum also increase every year.

This is also the target of organizing the 2022 INA-LAC Forum, which will reach a transaction value as in 2021, which is more than USD 87 million. "The target is simple if it can be more than USD 87 million like last year," he said.

"Now our friends at the Indonesian Embassy (Indonesian Embassy) have identified and monitored which entrepreneurs are interested in joining. So, it's like a hybrid (mixed) we still invite them to Indonesia, otherwise, we stay online like last year".

This year's INA-LAC Forum will specifically be held close to the Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI), which will take place on 19 – 23 October. "So, for our colleagues from Latin and Caribbean countries they participate in INA-LAC and then directly participate in TEI," he said.

The INA-LAC Forum started in 2019 with 270 business people from 18 countries participating. And recorded the value of business transactions during the two days of its implementation amounting to USD 33.12 million or around Rp.463.68 billion.

The second INA-LAC forum in 2020, which was held in the midst of a hybrid (mixed) pandemic, was attended by 553 business people with 490 of them participating online. By recording a business transaction value of USD 71 million.

The third INA-LAC Forum in 2021 was attended by 2745 business people from both regions online and offline and succeeded in achieving a business transaction value of USD 87.96 million. In the same year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, launched INA-Access.com.

INA-Access.com is a digital platform for displaying various products. Currently, there are more than 4000 export products, with 60 percent of exhibitors from businesses, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). (RRI)