Bali acts as a market center for remote regencies

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

"Where is Toli-Toli?" asked a visitor to the Indonesia Autonomy Expo 2002 held here last weekend, referring to the remote regency in Central Sulawesi.

When he visited the regency's booth at the exhibition, he was amazed by its diverse natural resources, which are virtually unknown outside of Sulawesi.

At the exhibition, Toli-Toli displayed a number of beautiful handicraft items, like model ships crafted from dry cloves, cacao beans, coffee beans and wood. The ships were priced lower than similar items found in shops in Bali.

Other regencies, like Sumba in East Nusa Tenggara, displayed samples of its rich and rare double woven cloth at the exhibition, while Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara delighted visitors with pearl jewelry and beautiful textiles.

At the special exhibition, visitors were able to get a glimpse of Indonesia's 102 regencies and numerous items rarely seen in Bali.

The four-day expo, which ended on Oct. 6, was held at the Bali International Convention Center (BICC) in Nusa Dua, Badung regency. It brought together government bureaucrats, the private sector, artisans and, more importantly, investors and prospective buyers.

Badung Regent A.A. Ngurah Oka Ratmadi said he was happy to be able to host the expo, where participants from around the country were able to talk and share their experiences.

Badung is one of eight regencies in Bali. It is the island's richest regency, including the famed tourist centers of Kuta and Nusa Dua.

Marten Waibusi, head of the Nabire regency delegation from Papua, agreed that the expo helped open the minds of the regency's businesspeople and artisans.

"The expo is a perfect place for us to see products from other regencies, and learn how they develop and market them," he said, adding that Nabire, being so far removed, rarely had contact with other regencies in Indonesia.

The chairman of the expo's organizing committee, Hariman T. Zagloel, explained that the event, the second of its kind, was primarily aimed at providing a forum for regencies in Indonesia to promote their various potentials.

"They have to realize that they can no longer rely on the central government to promote their areas," Hariman said.

He admitted there was still a large gap between the country's rich and poor regencies, or the well-prepared and unprepared ones.

Regencies like Kutai Kartanagara in East Kalimantan, Batul and Sleman in Yogyakarta, Surakarta in Central Java, and Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan in Bali were prepared to show off their potentials and to inform visitors about all the development activities in their areas.

This year's expo focused on economic potential, building regional networks and sharing information. Last year's expo was held in Jakarta, but Hariman said he expected that next year the expo would again be held in Bali.

"Bali, for instance, could become a market and information center because local and overseas buyers frequently come to the island to place bulk orders," Hariman said.

He added that Kediri and other regencies could share information with their counterparts in Bali on how to penetrate overseas markets.

Every regency theoretically has the economic potential to generate millions of dollars in revenue. But a lack of knowledge, marketing skills, information and facilities often prevent regencies from fulfilling this potential.

For example, Hariman said, not every regency realizes the importance of promotion. "You cannot just produce items. You have to display and sell them to the right buyers. Expos and other trade gatherings are only tools for regencies to reach an audience."

As a result of this lack of knowledge about the importance of promotion, many regencies came to Bali without any preparation.

If a regency wants to participate in an expo, here or abroad, they should register months prior to the event, he said. "Early registration will enable buyers around the world to notice your products and promotion. (You should register) at least three months in advance."

He added that many regencies at the expo only registered several days prior to the event. "How can buyers and investors have any idea about their potential?" he asked.

But these tardy participants should not be too disheartened. Together with Global Sources, the organizing committee gave expo participants access to cross-border trade by registering their products with Global Sources's online system.

Global Sources (GS) Indonesia will help local suppliers reach worldwide buyers by providing the right information, at the right time and in the correct format.

Hasan Shahab, GS's general manager for marketing, said for this expo his company had set up a special website to allow participants to promote their products from Aug. 15 until the end of this month.

"We have been quite successful in netting potential buyers through virtual displays. So far about 200 buyers worldwide have proposed 919 inquiries," he said, adding that about 50 buyers had already traveled to Bali to meet with suppliers.

Simon Ys. Ratanna, chief of the delegation from Donggala regency, Central Sulawesi, said he regretted that his regency had fallen behind in information technology.

"I hope that by taking part in the expo we are able to provide as much information as possible," Simon said, adding that his office was as yet not online.

Bantul regency in Central Java and Pamekasan regency in Madura are among the better prepared regencies.

"The regent of Bantul registered 18 small-scale handicraft producers with Global Sources and the results have been amazing," Hasan said, adding that Bantul's artisans were now exporting dozens of containers of handicrafts to several overseas destinations.