REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Egyptian entrepreneurs from the Egyptian-Indonesia Business Council (EIBC) have established trade cooperation with Indonesia in the pursuit of some competitive commodities.
Indonesian Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel in his statement on Tuesday stated that the cooperation between Indonesia and Egypt proves that the country's products are competitive and of high quality.
"The Indonesian government lauded the commitment of trade cooperation from the Egyptian businessmen delegation," he noted.
Rachmat pointed out that Egyptian entrepreneurs are interested in Indonesian goods such as tires, seafood products, car batteries, fruits, processed food, spare parts, office furniture, and stationery.
Earlier, in December, the delegates and Egyptian business players from EIBC had paid a courtesy visit to Indonesia, which was also followed by a visit from their trade mission.
By that time, the Egyptian trade mission had carried out transactions worth US$41.25 million comprising electronic products and home appliances worth US$ one million.
The trade of food products also reached US$ one million, followed by car tires worth US$32 million, alloy wheels worth US$ seven million, and toilet products worth US$25 thousand.
Meanwhile, the Egypt Pyramid Glass Company also succeeded in forming a joint venture with the BBC Glass Company in Tangerang, West Java, to establish a glassware factory, worth US$ nine million, in Fayoum, Egypt.
"I would like to ask EIBC to become the frontrunner in promoting Indonesian export products in Egypt," Rahmat affirmed.
Currently, Egypt has become one of Indonesia's key partners in the African region.
Based on data from the Indonesian government's Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the total value of trade between Indonesia and Egypt reached US$1.49 billion, with US$1.2 billion surplus in 2014.
In the last five years, the trade between the two countries has increased by 4.1 percent, while the value of Indonesian exports to Egypt reached US$209.25 million during January-February 2015.
Meanwhile, the value of Indonesian imports reached US$14.80 million, as a result of which Indonesia has a trade surplus of US$194.44 million.
The main export commodities from Indonesia include gold, electric cables and conductors, furniture, textiles, clothes, fresh fruits, and copper.
On the contrary, Egypt has exported cornstarch, wheat, and soy beans to Indonesia as their main commodities.
