Indonesia: Manufacture ready to increase non-oil and gas exports by 20%
Industry Minister Fahmi Idris saidmanufacturing industries are ready to help increase the country’s non-oil and gas exports by 20 percent in 2007.
“It is quite possible for them to do so because they already have primary commodities,” the minister said after a working meeting with his ranks and files on Tuesday.
To that end, the minister called on Indonesian trade attaches overseas to help promote the country’s manufacturing commodities in the foreign market.
Fahmi made the remarks in response to Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s call for trade officials on Monday to make every effort so that the country’s non-oil and gas exports could be raised by about 20 percent this year.
Trade Minister Mari E Pangestu meanwhile only set a target of 14.5 percent increase in non-oil and gas exports for this year.
Fahmi said that so far the manufacturing industries had contributed 75 percent of the country’s non-oil and gas exports.
He expressed his belief that with a number of primary commodities such as textile, textile products, electronics, automotive and foot wares, the target of 20 percent increase would be achieved.
He said that the confidence was based on the performance of the country’s exports in 2006 which grew by 19 percent.
