TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The government will focus on exports of manufactured products to prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) next year. “This is one of the strategies for AEC,” said Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel on Monday.

He said around 65 percent of Indonesia’s export composition was primary products while manufactured products only covered 35 percent from the total exports. He added these numbers would change in three to five years with manufactured products composition at 65 percent and primary products at 35 percent.

Natural resources that have been sold overseas in raw form will be processed first at home to become finished or semi-finished goods, so that Indonesia can enjoy the added value from those exports.

The government will also protect the domestic market from imported products by imposing national standards for imported products. “We can safeguard consumers in safety and health,” he said, adding that many products in the domestic market had yet to meet the national standards.

Previously, Rachmat said the government would build bonded warehouse zones for manufacturing industries in a bid to increase export of manufactured products and ease access to raw material.

A bonded warehouse zone is a warehousing area that stores, processes and packs raw goods. Manufacturing entrepreneurs will be able to import raw goods in large numbers to be stored in the warehouses.

PINGIT ARIA | JAYADI SUPRIADIN