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)