TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Trade Ministry will evaluate the performances of Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) and several attaché posted overseas, in order to boost exports this year, the minister, Enggartiasto Lukita, said here on Wednesday. He stated that the ITPC and trade attaché have played an important role in identifying the market outlooks. In 2017, the ministry had relocated two trade centers from Lyon, France; and Copenhagen, Denmark; to Istanbul, Turkey; and Hanoi, Vietnam.

The ministry has also set up a new location in Shanghai, China. "We are now re-evaluating the ITPC works as well as performance of the trade attaché at our embassies overseas," Lukita noted, during the 2018 Annual Working Meeting of Trade Ministry in Jakarta, on Wednesday.

In 2018, the ministry has planned to open the trade attaché in Islamabad and launch a new ITPC in Karachi, Pakistan, Lukita emphasized. Apart from the ITPC and trade attaché, the minister is also seeking to complete several bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, including the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Meanwhile, for the multilateral pacts, the ministry will call on other countries to finish the negotiation of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

In 2018, the minister has targeted to raise the non-oil and gas export by five to seven percent, while at the same time, maximizing the distribution to the non-traditional markets.

According to the ministry's records, the total export has increased from US$145.2 billion in 2016 to $168.73 billion last year.

Nevertheless, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) quipped and mentioned that there was something wrong with Indonesia's exports that were still inferior to neighboring countries in ASEAN. Jokowi said Indonesia's exports in 2017 reached US$145 billion, and still lost to Thailand which reached US$231 billion, Malaysia US$184 billion, and Vietnam which reached US$160 billion.

He noted that this was all the responsibility of Trade Ministry to increase Indonesia's exports. Jokowi reminded the Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita to conduct an evaluation of what should be done in increasing Indonesian exports. His remarks conveyed in a speech to open the working meeting of the Ministry of Trade at the State Palace on Wednesday.

ANTARA