Indonesia to send business mission to Europe

JAKARTA (JP): Seven Indonesian furniture companies will take part in the '94 Milan Fair in Italy and eight companies will hold a sole exhibition of general merchandise in four East European countries, a trade official says

The chairman of the National Agency for Export Development (NAFED), Rudy Lengkong, told a press conference on Thursday that Indonesia's participation in the '94 Milan Fair on April 11-17 is aimed at promoting furniture in the European market as the fair will be visited by 70,000 potential buyers and wholesalers.

He explained that another objective of the participation is to keep Indonesian businessmen and exporters abreast of Europe's design and quality preferences.

Italy's imports of furniture reached US$273,576 in 1992, of which only 5.12 percent came from Indonesia

Meanwhile, the leader of the Indonesian business mission to Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Veronica Trimoeljono, the foreign trade director of PT Pantja Niaga, a state-owned trading company, explained that her team will promote food, garments, textiles, furniture, shoes, educational toys and handicrafts.

Rudy said that Austria is an important entrance point for the East European market.

Indonesia's exports to Austria increased from $5.4 million in 1989 to $24 million in 1992 and to $28.4 in the first 11 months of 1993, and its imports from Austria rose from $95.7 million to $203.6 million and to $259.6 million respectively.(03)