REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) is encouraging the government to increase exports and will provide it a road map underlining priority programs that can help boost exports.
"We plan to provide the government with a road map to boost exports," Kadin Chief Rosan P Roeslani said after attending a pre-meeting here on Friday for the chamber's national working meeting being convened with the objective to raise Indonesia's exports by 500 percent.
The intention is to encourage the country to increase exports by 500 percent in the next five to 10 years, he added.
The various trade pacts including a free trade agreement that the government is intensifying will hopefully be able to boost the country's exports and make domestic products more competitive in the global market, he hoped.
"In addition, there must be a priority scale for any industry and we will encourage its development as part of the efforts to increase exports. Therefore, we must coordinate with the Industry Ministry," he argued.
The government must give priority to any industry as that will help boost exports in stages, he stressed.
"Not all industries can be developed all at once because they have limited funds, technology and human resources. The road map will cover which industries can be developed to increase Indonesia's exports," he explained.
The Deputy Chairman of Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro), Yuri Sato, meanwhile, said the time has come for Indonesia to increase the capacity of its industrial sector and encourage the export of goods which have value added rather than raw materials.
"Till some time ago, Indonesia tended to export raw materials without processing them. Admittedly, the value of the exports has risen. However, activities in the industrial sector have declined," he underlined.
He noted that the prices of Indonesia's key export commodities have been declining. This turn of events should serve as a moment for the domestic industry to promote its industrialization by increasing value added.