Kochi invites Indonesia to use its ports

JAKARTA (JP): The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Japanese town of Kochi yesterday offered an opportunity to Indonesia to use its ports as a gateway of plywood and seafood exports to Japan.

Tajiro Irimajiri, vice chairman of the chamber, told the press after signing an agreement with the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) that sea port facilities in Kochi are being restored to accommodate large ships.

Kochi has three major ports -- Kochi, Susaki and kumowan.

"The Indonesian Association Wood Panels (Apkindo) through its Osaka office has appointed Kochi as one of the Japanese gateways. Some of the Indonesian plywood, therefore, enters Japan through Kochi," Irimajiri said.

He explained that 2,000 cubic meters of plywood enter Japan every month through Kochi.

Japan imports about 300,000 cubic meters of plywood from Indonesia.

"When the expansion project is completed, the port can accommodate around 30,000 to 40,000 cubic meters plywood per month," Irimajiri Added.

Shinichi Yoshimura, chairman of the Kochi chamber, said that the agreement signed yesterday calls for the two institutions to encourage the exchange of human resources and information and to promote trade and investment ties.

The signing ceremony was attended by Mayor of Kochi Tatsuo Yokoyama and vice chairmen of Kadin Adiwarsita Adinegoro and Iman Taufik. (yns)