Furniture, handicrafts exhibition opened here

JAKARTA (JP): Director General for Agricultural and Forestry- based Industries Sujata yesterday opened a furniture and handicraft exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center, which will continue until June 9.

"Our furniture and handicraft exports have remarkably increased during the last ten years," said Sujata at the exhibition's opening ceremony, which was also attended by Muhammad (Bob) Hasan, chairman of the Indonesian Furniture Industry & Handicraft Association.

During the January to November period last year, exports of furniture and handicrafts amounted to US$1.6 billion or about 6 percent of the total exports of Indonesia's industrial products.

"Ten years ago, furniture and handicraft exports were recorded only at $60 million," he noted.

In 1999, at the end of the current Five Year Development Plan, Indonesia expects furniture and handicraft exports to reach $12 billion or 22.2 percent of Indonesia's total industrial exports.

Bob Hasan said that furniture and handicraft producers are still facing a number of obstacles in exporting their products.

"The procedure of exporting furniture and handicraft products still takes a long time. Sometimes it takes weeks before they can export their products," he said, adding that ideally, it should take only two days.

He also cited that furniture and handicraft trading is still dominated by brokers, particularly those from abroad.

"Sales through the brokers still account for more than 50 percent, thereby leaving the producers with a very small profit margin," he said.

Eighty furniture and 20 handicraft producers from all over Indonesia are participating in the 10-day exhibition. (13)