TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Nus Nuzulia Ishak, the director general for national export development at the Trade Ministry, said that the ministry set a target to achieve a total transaction of US$1.42 billion during the 2015 Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI), which was the same as last year’s.

“We don’t expect too much,” Nus told Tempo on Wednesday, October 21, at the JIExpo in Jakarta.

Nus revealed that the number of visitors at this year’s TEI had increased to 14,200 people from 119 countries.

“Last year, the visitors came from 114 countries,” she added.

However, Nus admitted that the global economic slowdown would affect this year’s exports and imports. Earlier, Trade Minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong predicted that Indonesia’s exports this year could drop by 14 percent.

In a bid to make the TEI as an effective promotion tool, the Trade Ministry had focused on efforts to attract foreign buyers through cooperation with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Indonesian Embassies, trade attachés, the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), the International Trade Promotion Office, and chambers of commerce and industry at friendly countries.

“The Trade Ministry has made efforts to diversify markets, and it is reflected that most buyers are from non-traditional markets, such Nigeria, India, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Malaysia,” Thomas added.

PINGIT ARIA