T

he Trade Ministry has awarded several domestic exporters and overseas importers in recognition of their roles in boosting the country'€™s trade.

As many as 60 companies from overseas were granted the Primaduta Award 2015, introduced only this year, for their loyalty in importing Indonesian products and contribution to increasing imports. The ministry also presented the annual Primaniyarta Award to 30 local companies for their achievements in export activities.

The awards were presented during the opening ceremony of Trade Expo Indonesia, the country'€™s biggest trade exhibition, by President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo and Trade Minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong.

'€œThe awards show the government'€™s appreciation and are aimed at motivating traders and boosting exports,'€ said Thomas.

Among the companies that receive the Primaniyarta Award are publicly listed garment manufacturer PAN Brothers, publicly listed paper producer Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper, tire manufacturer Gajah Tunggal and component maker Astra Otoparts.

The main criteria for companies to receive the Primaniyarta Award is that they have no problems related to banking, taxation, the environment, employment and property rights.

Other considerations are competitiveness, product quality and prices, consumer acceptance, ability to tap markets and distribution channels in the export destinations.

Meanwhile, foreign importers that received the Primaduta Award came from countries such as the United States, Chile, Hungary, Belgium, Russia and Germany. They also come from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and the Philippines.

The Primaduta Award goes to loyal foreign buyers who continuously purchase Indonesian products as shown by three consecutive years of import transactions, increasing import values, or product category expansion.

The Indonesian consul general in Hamburg, Germany, Sylvia Arifin, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that by appreciating the buyers, the government wished for the trade relationship to continuously grow.

'€œWe hope that it will attract German buyers'€™ attention and increase Indonesia'€™s trade volume with the country,'€ she said over the phone, adding that her office would issue a release in the German language and circulate it among the businesspeople.

She expressed hope that other companies would follow suit to have transactions with the traders of Southeast Asia'€™s largest economy, or at least conduct a feasibility study on their products.

This year, as many as six companies from the European country got the award. Their businesses range from dealing in garden furniture and wooden crafts to seafood products and palm oil derivatives.

Sylvia said from January to June this year, the value of trade between Indonesia and Germany stood at 252.4 million in favor of Indonesia, with Germany'€™s imports from the country worth 1.2 billion. The trade value was 56.87 percent higher year-on-year (yoy) compared to the same period last year.

Indonesia'€™s main export commodities to Germany are palm oil and its derivatives, footwear, coffee, shrimp, furniture, electric machinery, textiles and automotive parts, said Sylvia.

'€œGerman buyers are also coming to this year'€™s Trade Expo Indonesia to look for business opportunities,'€ she said.

This year'€™s Trade Expo Indonesia is eyeing more buyers from Indonesia'€™s non-traditional markets, such as Nigeria, India, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Malaysia. The event, which will be held until Oct. 25 at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, exhibits export-oriented goods and services from around 2,000 companies, including small and medium enterprises, and aims to welcome more than 14,000 buyers from 118 countries. (prm)