VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed the plan of the Association of Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Producers-ASEPHI which planned to create the Inacraft Online mobile application. After officially opening the 21st international handicraft trade exhibition in Jakarta, Wednesday (24/4), the President said, currently Indonesian handicraft entrepreneurs are ready to market their products through an offline mechanism. Therefore, according to him, the step to encourage the entry of Indonesian handicraft products into the online market is a positive step in increasing market share, both in the country and overseas.

“Yes, all of this, the off-ecosystem is ready. Just lift it to the online ecosystem. Later there will be a national place market in connection with global market place. This product has already been selected for 21 years. The market already exists. Just increase it to global market place,” said President Joko Widodo.

Previously, Deputy Chairperson for Institutional Cooperation and Promotion of the Association of Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Producers, Gusmardi Bustomi, said that the Association of Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Producers was preparing an Inacraft Online application that would accommodate all Small and Medium Enterprises in Indonesia. This application is prepared to deal with the global changes and developments marked by technological progress. In 2018, Inacraft has successfully sold handicraft products to a total value of 136 billion rupiah. This year, Inacraft is targeted to achieve sales of 140 up to 145 billion rupiah. In this year also, Inacraft targets to achieve export transactions reaching 13 to 14 million US dollars, an increase from the previous year which reached 12 million US dollars. (VOI/NDY/AHM)

China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair 2019, the professional platform for international small commodities to enter China, will open on May 23-26, 2019 at the Yiwu International Expo Center in China’s small commodities paradise Yiwu City. 

The Fair of this year will cover an exhibition area of over 50,000 square meters, providing 2,000 international standard booths in 4 exhibition zones, namely Asia Pavilion I, Asia Pavilion II, European Pavilion and America-Australia-Africa & Cross-border Trade Pavilion. 

The imported commodities to be displayed will include household items, maternal and child supplies, beauty and personal care, crafts, home appliances, food and beverage, health and nutrition, fashion accessories, creative toys, stationery, sports goods, clothing and accessories. The Fair is expected to attract over 1,500 business companies and organizations from over 100 countries and regions across the world. The number of visitors and buyers will exceed 120,000. 

The Import Commodities Procurement (Yiwu) Summit, as one of the core activities during the Fair, will gather leading retailers including Walmart, Carrefour, Lianhua Supermarket, HNA Retailing, and China Resources to place orders on-site. 

Other activities will include UCLG ASPAC Executive Bureau Conference 2019, “Belt and Road” International Urban Economic and Trade Cooperation (Yiwu) Dialogue, China Import E-Commerce Supply-Chain Conference, as well as Spanish Culture Week, overseas new products launch show, world culture shows, food carnival, and imported red wine tasting. 

China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair was founded in 2012 as a professional platform for introducing overseas consumer goods to China. In 2015, echoing the national “Belt and Road Initiative”, and endeavoring to advance the construction of the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe railway and Yiwu-Ningbo-Zhoushan port, the Fair was elevated in terms of level and scale, and began to be co-sponsored by the China International Chamber of Commerce and the China Business Federation. In June 2016, China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair was certified by UFI, becoming the first of its kind in China to pass the certification. Now, the Fair has become one of the first-choice platforms for oversea consumer goods brands entering China. (ant)

 Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Qishan in Beijing, Thursday afternoon, prior to paying an honorary visit to President Xi Jinping later in the day.

The visit was organized on the sidelines of the International Belt Road (BRF) II Cooperation Conference in Beijing on April 24-27, 2019.

On Thursday night, Kalla had planned to hold a meeting with several leaders of China-based firms.

The Belt and Road Forum (BRF) program will kick off tomorrow (Friday) with an opening ceremony, and an evening dinner also lined up.

However, during this time, the vice president will also hold a business forum for getting together Indonesian and Chinese businesspersons," Foreign Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi noted.

The BRF conference, with the peak event on Saturday (April 27), was divided into the three sessions of connectivity, policy synergy, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"The vice president will address the third session held in connection with SDGs," the foreign minister said.

At the biennial conference, the vice president will, in all likelihood, also bring up the topic of Indonesian palm oil exports to China.

Foreign Minister Marsudi and Chinese Customs Minister Ni Yue Feng inked a trade protocol for the import of mangosteen from Indonesia.

"We will continuously work towards boosting the export of the tropical fruit from Indonesia to China in order to reduce the trade deficit between both nations," he noted.

President Joko Widodo had attended the first BRF in May 2017.  (ant)

Another three science technoparks will be set up in Indonesia this year to add to the already existing 18 parks, a top official of the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education said.

"This year, there are three more science technoparks planned," Secretary General of the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education Ainun Naim told journalists here Thursday.

The government has targeted the setting up of 100 science technoparks and they have been added to a list of prioritized national programs.

However, the target could not be achieved because of several factors including the lack of scientists who are essential for the development of these technoparks, he said.

In an effort to end that deadlock the ministry collaborated with public universities and non-ministerial agencies, such as the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciencies (LIPI), because they have the scientists, Naim said.

"With this collaboration, science technoparks can be developed at public universities," he said, adding that the ministry has introduced a "Research and Innovation in Science and Technology Project" in 2013.

In developing the science technoparks in the country, this "Riset Pro" is designed to support the products made in the parks for use by the people.

For instance, an electric scooter produced by the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), will immediately be sold in the domestic market, he said.

One of the Riset Pro components is improving the framework of innovation-related policies and revitalizing research institutions in the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), BATAN, LIPI, and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), Naim said.

One of the science technoparks has been set up at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), ANTARA noted. Known as the IPB Science Techno Park, it helps  the innovation in tropical agriculture, foods, and bio-science.(ant)