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Sat, 16 Sep 2000

JP/1,772 buyers to join Jakarta trade fair

1,772 buyers to join Jakarta trade fair

JAKARTA (JP): As many as 1,776 buyers from 68 countries have confirmed their participation in the Export Products Exhibition 2000 to be held at the Jakarta Fairground in Kemayoran next month, a senior official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Friday.

Head of the National Agency for Export Development (BPEN) Gusmardi Bustami said that as of the second week of September, 1,776 buyers had confirmed their attendance at the four-day trade fair, compared with the 5,000 buyers targeted by the organizers.

"No one has yet canceled their plans, which shows that political and security conditions in the country have not affected their desire to trade (with us)," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

The trade expo will run from Oct. 18 to Oct. 22.

Gusmardi said the buyers came from countries in North Africa, Southern Africa, North America, South America, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Australia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and the Middle East.

Some would also attend as their countries' trade representatives, like those from Egypt, Japan, Mauritius, Singapore, Bangladesh, Yemen, Malaysia, India, and Nigeria, he said.

The response from prospective buyers showed that furniture products were the most sought after, followed by handicraft products, clothing, textiles, wood products, paper products, and electronics, Gusmardi explained.

He said that 950 local companies had registered so far, representing 95.8 percent of the allocated space at the Jakarta Fairground.

BPEN expects that transactions at the expo will reach $100 million, up from $70 million in 1999, Gusmardi revealed.

To be held simultaneously with the Export Products Exhibition is the fourth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Fair.

At least 14 of the 21 member countries have registered so far, namely Japan, China, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Brunei, and Indonesia. (10)