VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Robotic automation products or automation machines driven by the nation's robots competed in the Mexican market, with a high level of interest among enthusiasts at the ExpoPack Exhibition in Guadalajara City, Mexico, June 11-13, 2019. 

Products of particular interest to local food and beverage entrepreneurs comprised linear liquid filling and wide hygiene conveyers that are made to order, according to written information from the Indonesian Embassy in Mexico City on Saturday.

Three Indonesian firms -- PT. The Packaging Integra Center (PIC), PT Prima Makmur Rotokemindo (PMR), and Charta Global (a subsidiary of Asia Pulp & Paper / APP) -- participated in the annual international exhibition on innovation in the largest processing and packaging sector in Latin America.

It is PT. PIC's second time at ExpoPack 2019 after taking part in a similar exhibition in Mexico City last year.

PIC has several clients in Mexico and is finalizing business contracts with companies in Tijuana.

In the meantime, PT. PMR, with a daily plastic packaging production capacity of 1.5 million meters, took part in this exhibition, with the aim of finding partners, especially producers of cheese or frozen pizza wherein PMR is able to produce packaging for both products.

Companies that already have domestic customers packing instant noodles, sweets, snacks, coffee, biscuits, and paper products have established business with the largest instant noodle company in the United States, Maruchan, whose products dominate the Mexican market.

The APP, which first participated in ExpoPack, carries the concept of paper-based packaging products. Supplier of APP paper, Proveedora Papelera Kino, also presented some environment-friendly products, such as the Biodegradable Bio-Natura Cups biodegradable container, that have been marketed.

"I am proud that Indonesian businessmen have dared to explore alternative markets in Latin America. I believe our products of good quality are capable of competing with similar ones from other countries in the region," Ambassador Cheppy emphasized.

ExpoPack brings together industry players in the fields of packaging and processing various variants of the manufacturing industry, such as food and beverages, cosmetics, chemicals, automotives, container manufacturing, electronics, pharmaceuticals, candy, bread, graphic arts, and textiles.

ExpoPack 2019 is targeting to attract 16 thousand potential buyers, especially from Latin America, the United States, and Canada. Some 700 company stands showcased products with the latest technology that are environment-friendly.  

Various Indonesian batik clothing and fabrics featured at the Indonesian Pavilion at the 2019 Apparel Textile and Footwear (ATF) Trade Exhibition in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 12-14, 2019, captivated the South African visitors.

"Batik has long been recognized by the people of South Africa. We admit that our presence here is yet limited, but we do believe that our high-quality fabrics and batik products have vast potential to be further marketed," Indonesian Consul General in Cape Town Krishna Adi Poetranto said as noted in a press release issued by the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria and received in Jakarta on Saturday.

Batik yet again succeeded in drawing the attention of foreign visitors to the Cape Town International Convention Center, where the three-day ATF exhibition will be held.  

The “Wastra Nusantara” sequence at the fashion show on the second day of the exhibition was enlivened by the latest collection of batik designers and entrepreneurs from Lampung, Pekalongan, and Bandung.

At the exhibition, the Indonesian showcase was replete with contrasting colors but appeared harmonious, connected by rich patterns and textures symbolizing the archipelago. Clothing and accessories, worn by local models sashaying the long runways in the middle of the exhibition hall, appeared quite alluring.

Batik Siger, with experience in showcasing its collections in various countries, presented clothing lines for men and women, with a typical Siger style of Lampung Province, at this exhibition.

The uniqueness of the Batik Siger business model, especially its empowerment of housewives and persons with disabilities through involvement in their business processes, was the reason behind the Indonesian government bestowing the Upakarti award on this company in 2014.

Lovely Zia from Bandung displayed contemporary batik clothing, including patchwork skirts, shirts, dresses, and outer wear for both genders. Aruni Batik Pekalongan is showcasing batik clothing for men and batik fabric, while Annie.B Cape Town is featuring Balinese fabrics, silver jewelry, accessories, and rattan bags.

ATF is the largest annual exhibition of textiles, apparel, and footwear in Africa, which annually attracts some two thousand visitors and at least 500 exhibitors from various countries.

Through the ATF exhibition, the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria, Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town, and the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) in Johannesburg have collaborated to popularize and market batik in a more systematic way in African markets.

Indonesian Batik that was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009 is expected to go global and drive the exports of small and medium industries. Through the exhibition, the Indonesian government has attempted to introduce Indonesian textile businessmen to their South African counterparts to unveil further business opportunities.

According to the Ministry of Industry, the export value of woven and batik commodities had reached US$53.3 million in 2018, with some main export destination nations comprising Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The National Economic and Industrial Committee (KEIN) remarked that the performance growth of the textile and clothing industry had increased, with the figure crossing double digits last year. Hence, the government has extended full support to the textile industry sector owing to its labor intensive nature and the dominance of domestic use of raw materials. (ant)

The Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry has facilitated meetings between Chinese and Indonesian delegations in Jakarta on Friday (June 14), during the Indonesian Business Visit and China International Contractors Association (Chinca).

The activity was attended by 31 businesspersons, who are representatives of Chinca, and leaders from several companies in the fields of energy, transportation, and infrastructure development, machinery manufacturing, as well as financial institutions, most of which came from Beijing and the surrounding areas as well as  large Chinese group of companies and state firms.

Deputy for Infrastructure Coordination Ridwan Djamaluddin noted in a press release in Jakarta, Saturday, that Indonesia was still prioritizing Java. The government is optimistic of realizing equitable infrastructure development across all regions.

"Java still contributes some 80 percent to our GDP (gross domestic product). In Indonesia, we are aware of the need for equitable progress in development, so our efforts currently are directed to driving development in areas outside Java," he remarked.

Since 2017, the Indonesian government has, on the basis of inputs from private and state-owned firms, compiled proposals that are then incorporated into 30 projects in four development corridors, with a value reaching US$91.1 billion.

The North Sumatra corridor focuses on the western economic rights to facilitate the cooperation of ASEAN and its surroundings; the North Kalimantan corridor prioritizes developing energy and minerals; North Sulawesi is focused on growth of the Pacific region in the field of parata and industry; while Bali is prepared for the ASEAN regional innovation center.

Deputy Ridwan also reiterated that the cooperation is mutually beneficial and all nations that will invest in Indonesia must fulfill five criteria and three cooperation systems "Basic Principles of GMF-BRI Cooperation."

"I want to emphasize that we are not only cooperating commercially in the short term but are also opening room in the long term. Outside these four corridors are also non-corridor projects that have been initiated by industry players solely looking for government policy support," he pointed out.

Representative of Chinca Chairperson Xin Xiuming assessed that Indonesia had borne witness to notable economic development, and it was enthusiastic to participate in infrastructure development in the country.

"We encourage the enthusiasm of our members to join in development, and as a Chinese infrastructure contractor organization, we also want to establish sound communication with Indonesia. We believe in our efforts and support from various parties and hope that the infrastructure cooperation between the two countries would run well," he stated.

In the meantime, the Indonesian ambassador to China and Mongolia noted that bilateral relations would further intensify if both countries' businesspersons would realize the program of this bilateral relationship.

The activity is expected to furnish information on cooperation within the framework of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor (RCEC) of the Global Maritime Fulcrum - Belt and Road Initiative (GMF-BRI) between Indonesia and China and to unveil opportunities for investment projects in infrastructure, energy, and public works through direct interaction between Indonesian and Chinese businesspersons.

 Some 16.000 runners took part in the 10th Milo Jakarta International 10K Marathon in Jakarta on Sunday morning.

The annual event organized by leading milk producer Milo was divided into 10K, 5K, and regular classes.

"We hope this event will help improve the quality of our life and future through a healthier way," Nestle Indonesia President Director Dharnesh Gordhon said.

The event received support from the Jakarta provincial administration which expected it would motivate the younger generations to take active part in sports activity and serve as a means to select talented marathon runners in the capital.

"This recreational sport is one of the ways to find seedling athletes. In fact, the governor also plans to issue a policy to allow residents to use sport facilities free of charge. These all are expected to make all residents happy," Head of the Jakarta Youths and Sports Office Achmad Firdaus said.

Due to the higher number of participants from different age groups, the event's organizing committee prepared a number of technical steps to prevent participants from sustaining injuries or facing obstacles in the field.

The steps included preparing different start points for each age group and expanding finish area to avoid a crowd of runners.

In addition, the event's organizing committee also called on participants to see their respective stamina in order to avoid serious injuries. (ant)