Find Article by Date
Thu, 11 Oct 2001

JP/Foreign buyers cancel participation in RI trade expo: BPEN

Foreign buyers cancel participation in RI trade expo: BPEN

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The National Agency for Export Development (BPEN) said on Wednesday that about 100 foreign buyers had canceled their participation in the upcoming export products expo in Jakarta (2001 PPE) due to security concerns amid rising anti-U.S. sentiment here.

"Foreign buyers are very concerned about the security situation in Indonesia right now," said BPEN chairman Gusmardi Bustami, refering to mass media reports about threats by local radical groups to expel U.S. citizens and attack U.S. interests here following the air strike against Afghanistan.

Gusmardi said that BPEN had instructed its overseas trade representative offices to persuade the buyers to come to the country's key trade expo and assure them that they would be safe.

"We have made a committment to stepping up security during the exhibition" he said.

Gusmardi said, however, that about 900 producers and 2,000 foreign buyers, consisting of 22 trade missions from 19 countries, had confirmed that they would take part in the 2001 PPE.

The 2001 PPE will be held from October 24 to October 28 at the Jakarta Fairgrounds in Kemayoran.

The companies at the expo will display various export items such as furniture, handicrafts, textiles, footwear, food and beverages, and leather, metal and rubber products.

Gusmardi said that total transactions at the expo might be 5 percent lower than the US$120 million target due to the above problem.

Elsewhere, Gusmardi also expressed pessimism about the country's 2001 non-oil and gas export target of US$51.3 billion amid the looming global economic recession.

He pointed out that the non-oil and gas export value between January and August this year had declined by 3.4 percent to $30.2 billion compared to $31.3 billion last year.

He said non-oil and gas exports to Singapore decreased by $500 million.

Earlier this year, the government had predicted 2001 non-oil and gas exports to increase by 7.5 percent to $51.3 billion from $47.7 billion last year.