Sat, 16 Oct 2010

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:As many as 25 Colombian businessmen are studying the possibility of cooperating with young Indonesian retailers in the field of arts and craft and fashion. Albert Jahja, the Deputy Marketing Director of Mazee, said there will be 60 local brands producing accessories, arts/design, fashion, gift and collections, as well as health and beauty products to be marketed in Colombia.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Executive Director Hariadi Saptadji said the trade volume of both countries is still very low, around US$ 100 million per year. "They mostly buy raw materials, like rubber and crude palm oil (CPO)," he said yesterday.

The export of fashion and arts and craft products is also very low. The distance and language, he said, are the main barriers for both countries to improve trade relations. It takes 26 to 37 hours’ flight to fly to Colombia.

KARTIKA CANDRA