Following the successful working visit of Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan to Qatar recently, more business dialogues and B2B meetings are in the pipeline for the continued enhancement of both countries’ economic ties.
This was according to Qatar-Indonesia Business Council (QIBC) president Farhan al-Sayed, who recently hosted several delegations from Indonesia eyeing to increase exports from the southeast Asian country to Qatar and other countries in the Gulf region.
Al-Sayed told Gulf Times that Dewi Astian, chief, International Relations at Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, visited Qatar to coordinate a possible high-level business dialogue and B2B meeting in Doha.
He said Astian also proposed to create a mini pavilion during the event to showcase premium Indonesian products like jewellery, clothing, bags, shoes, scarfs, furniture, and coffee, and to promote tourism in more than 10 destinations in Indonesia, including Bali.
“Indonesia is a strong and one of the most reliable trade partners of Qatar. The bilateral trade volume of both countries from January to July this year stood at $758mn and is expected to grow further in the coming months.
“Qatar receives regular visitors from Indonesia’s public and private sectors, such as ministers, chambers of commerce, business council delegates, and general traders who are able to secure successful deals and partnerships in various fields with different companies in Doha,” al-Sayed explained.
Another delegation, which was led by Radhi Darmansyah from the Indonesian province of Aceh, also visited Doha to offer investment opportunities, such as block of exploration in Andaman 1 and in the Strait of Malacca in Aceh.
“Currently, Repsol, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and Premier Oil are involved in various projects. Aceh could be the strategic regional hub in southeast Asia for agro-related commodities, fisheries, tourism, halal products, and oil and gas,” al-Sayed said.
Al-Sayed also lauded Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan’s successful trade mission to Qatar, which secured potential transactions worth QR5.5mn (23.2bn Indonesian rupiah).
In an earlier statement, Hasan said business matching sessions held in Doha during the trade mission helped secure the potential transactions in the following areas: beauty and hospitality products, spices and seasonings, snacks and processed foods, frozen fish, garments, and handicrafts.
The minister said 11 Indonesian companies and 42 Qatari businesses participated in the business matching event. Palm oil and its derivatives, paper products, automotive, batteries, food and beverages, home decorations, handicraft products, garments, and beauty products are among Indonesia’s major products, he said.
“The trade mission to Qatar managed to record potential transactions worth IDR23.2bn from this business matching initiative. This value has the potential to further increase, considering that the participating businesses are still following up on requests from potential partners who were brought together during the event,” the minister said.
