T

hough booking a lower transaction value than in previous years, the 30th Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) hosted by the Trade Ministry last month succeeded in attracting buyers from a number of new markets.

The ministry announced on Wednesday that the top five biggest-spending countries at the expo were Malaysia (US$109.62 million), the United Arab Emirates ($86.24 million), South Africa ($52.01 million), Turkey ($44.93 million) and Egypt ($42.76 million).

In the services sector, top spenders were buyers from Malaysia ($50.62 million), Libya ($236,400), Iraq ($194,400), the United Arab Emirates ($171,600) and Ethiopia ($115,200).

The countries in question have now been earmarked as new export markets for Indonesia.

The Trade Ministry'€™s director general for export development, Nus Nuzulia Ishak, attributed the success to the government'€™s export diversification efforts.

'€œThe slowing global economy turns out not to have greatly affected a number of buyers,'€ she told reporters recently.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo acknowledged previously that his government needed to do more to increase exports as the world economic slowdown had adversely affected Indonesia'€™s export destinations; as such, he instructed the trade minister and Indonesian ambassadors to actively seek trade opportunities in non-traditional markets.

Despite the new markets, data from the ministry showed that the expo had booked a contraction in total transaction value. The value stood at $909.31 million, 35.92 percent lower than the $1.42 billion booked last year. The decline was mainly caused by the halving of service transaction value from $105.9 million booked last year to only $51.94 million this year.

Meanwhile, product transaction value increased 5.29 percent to $857.37 million this year, driven by transactions in textile and textile products of $154.05 million. Other commodities that attracted foreign buyers were furniture, processed food, coffee and chemicals.

The foreign cooperation and promotion deputy of the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), Elia Rosalina Sunityo, said during the press briefing that her office, which participated for the eighth time in this year'€™s TEI, had seen lower demand this year.

'€œWe have recorded demand for 15,439 workers, with salary value reaching $519,820,'€ she said without explaining the decline further.

Elia said that the BNP2TKI had received workforce demands from Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Iraq and Jordan, to name a few, during the TEI.

On the same occasion, the ministry also announced that the Indonesian Pavilion at the World Expo Milano (WEM) had welcomed 4.01 million visitors, twice the target of 2 million people. The number was the highest among ASEAN countries, followed by Malaysia with 3 million visitors.

The WEM, which ran from May 1 until Oct. 31, was used by the government to promote the country'€™s economic potential, investment and tourism.

The government surprisingly decided not to participate in the expo, prompting an organization called the Archipelago Cultural Conservationists Cooperative (KPBN) to take over the management of the Indonesian Pavilion.

The organizer struggled to continue the project with no support from the state budget until several private companies, including Artha Graha Network, PT Indofood Sukses Makmur and state lender Bank Mandiri, chipped in.