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North Sumatra lures Indian investors to open cattle farms, thread factories
India is North Sumatra’s third-largest export destination after the United States and China.
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Lake Toba is so huge that it almost looks like an ocean. North Sumatra is inviting Indian companies to invest in cattle farms, thread production and tourism. (ANN/The Star/Allison Lai)
T
he North Sumatra government has offered Indian companies opportunities to invest in cattle husbandry and thread manufacturing to reduce the province’s reliance on meat and thread imports.
North Sumatran Governor Edy Rahmayadi said Indian companies can open buffalo farms and thread factories in the province, which still relies on imported products to meet the local demand.
He said that the province imported at least 1,500 tons of meat a year and also a large amount of thread to meet the needs of the province’s weaving industry, which produce traditional woven fabrics such as olos and songket.
“I think this investment will be beneficial because it can open employment opportunities for North Sumatran people as well,” he said during the India-Indonesia Multi-Product Expo in the North Sumatra City Hall in Medan on Oct. 2.
India is North Sumatra’s third-largest export destination after the United States and China. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), from January until May exports from North Sumatra to India were worth US$195.98 million, while imports were worth $96.807 million. The province’s exports include palm oil and its derivatives, coal, coconuts and gambier.
Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Pradeep Kumar Rawat said at the event that India also wanted to cooperate with the North Sumatran province over tourism. According to him, the province has a lot of attractive tourist destinations, but only a few Indians visited them because of the lack of direct flights.
He said that 600,000 Indian tourists came to Indonesia this year, mainly to go to Java, Bali and Lombok.
"Through this partnership, we will promote tourism to Lake Toba, Brastagi and other places of interest in North Sumatra in November," he said, adding that partnerships in education could also be strengthened through increases of student exchanges, scholarships and training programs.
"A lot of educational institutions in India have partnered with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the University of Indonesia and several other universities in Java. So, now we want to do the same in North Sumatra," said Rawat. (eyc)
