Musim Mas wins 5th Primaniyarta award

Musim Mas wins 5th Primaniyarta award

JAKARTA (JP): The Medan-based PT Musim Mas palm oil industry
has set a new record for government recognition of national level
export performance by winning the Primaniyarta award five
consecutive times.

"This year marks the fifth consecutive time my company has
been recognized with the best exporter at the national level
award," Anwar Karim, President of Musim Mas, said.

Musim Mas was one of the 25 companies presented with the
national level Primaniyarta award by President Soeharto last
Thursday in recognition of their outstanding performance in
bolstering Indonesia's exports.

Karim said his company won the award in all categories --
steady, significant increase in exports in absolute and relative
terms, and product and market diversification.

"We have steadily diversified our palm oil-based products to
higher value added commodities and steadily expanded our export
markets to exceed 100 countries," Karim said.

He cited cooking oil, soap, glycerine, fatty acids, margarine,
softening agents, vegetable ghee, and refined, bleached and
deodorized olein as several of the product lines his mills
produce and export.

He said his exports had expanded by an annual average of more
than 50 percent between 1991 and 1995, the period reviewed by the
Primaniyarta award jury.

However, he declined to give further details on the volume and
value of his exports.

Musim Mas, according to the industry and trade ministry which
oversees the selection of the companies for the Primaniyarta
award, has fully integrated its palm oil industry from the
upstream -- oilpalm plantations -- to the downstream products.

There is no short-cut to success in the export market, Karim
said; companies have to win and maintain the trust of customers
by honoring deals fully according to the contractual terms.

"We started our palm oil business in 1972 and what we have
achieved now is not extraordinary in the business scheme of
things," he said.

But he considered the palm oil business as very promising
although also very competitive, given the suitable climate and
steadily increasing demand for palm oil-based products.

"Indonesia now ranks as the second largest producer of palm
oil in the world with a national output of 4.8 million tons,
still far below Malaysia's 7.8 million tons," he said.

But Malaysia usually exports more than 80 percent of its
output due to the small volume of its domestic consumption.

Karim is confident that Indonesia will be able to catch up in
the next few years as a result of the massive oil palm estate
developments by state and private companies. (vin)