VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia has again captivated the international market with its flagship products. Indonesia managed to gain potential transactions worth around Rp 2.6 billion with the number of potential buyer contacts reaching 50 companies at the HOMI 2021 handicraft and home decoration exhibition, in Milan, Italy.

Indonesia's participation in HOMI 2021 which was held in early September 2021 was a synergy of the Ministry of Trade through the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Milan in collaboration with the Rome Trade Attaché by cooperating with the leading Italian home decoration distributor, Aladdin Srl Massimo Vento.

In this exhibition, Indonesia displayed wood and stone carvings, home decorations, aromatherapy, such as resins and candles, as well as handicrafts from bamboo and rattan. By having good quality, these products managed to attract the attention and interest of buyers who were present. This was stated by the Roman trade attaché, Silvi Charlote Sumanti.

HOMI is an international exhibition in the field of crafts and home decoration in Italy that involves all relevant parties, from producers to distributors. At this year’s exhibition, HOMI 2021 featured 300 participants from 22 countries.

Aladdin Srl Massimo Vento, founder of HOMI said that he was very satisfied with the results of this exhibition. Indonesian products are beautiful and unique products that are rarely found in Italy, making them very popular and appreciated in Italy.

Head of ITPC Milan, Sri Bimo Adhi Yudhono explained that after being hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic and a strict lockdown followed by massive vaccinations, the Italian economy is now back to life. This should be used by Indonesia to reach the market as one of the countries producing high quality handicrafts. Moreover, currently the Italian government is providing discounted prices for those who build or buy houses, thus, making the opportunities for the home decoration sector even greater.

The trend for 2021 in the interior design field is environmentally friendly products as well as sustainable ones. Indonesian products have these two characters because they are made from natural materials and not from artificial ones or chemical industry products. This year, the public interest in furniture and products for verandas, terraces and yards has increased sharply because many people still have to work from home.

The total trade between Indonesia and Italy in the January-July 2021 period was worth US$ 2.40 billion, an increase of 31.54 percent compared to the same period last year. Of this value, Indonesia's exports to Italy amounted to US$ 1.39 billion. Meanwhile, Indonesia's imports from Italy amounted to US$ 1.01 billion.