ULOG: 13 "The Government Will Increase Furniture Exports until Crab to Switzerland"

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The government is encouraging exports of three types of commodities, namely wood-based products, seafood products, and natural-based products to Switzerland as part of efforts to improve the trade balance deficit.

Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland Muliaman Hadad said this was done to increase Indonesia's trade with Switzerland. Indonesia as a maritime country, according to him, has a great opportunity to export maritime products to Switzerland.

"We focus on maritime products because Switzerland has no sea, so they need shrimp, we need to cultivate marine products. For example, crabs," Muliaman said in Zurich, Monday (1/10).

In addition to seafood products, he also gave an example of wood-based products that could be exported to Switzerland, such as furniture and handicrafts. Then natural-based ingredients, such as essential oils.

"These potentials will be touched, increasingly touched if the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEFTA-CEPA) Indonesia-Free Trade Association agreement is completed," explained Muliaman.

For information, countries included in the EFTA list, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Some of Indonesia's main export products to EFTA include jewelry, telephone sets, optical devices, gold, and essential oils. Meanwhile, Indonesia's imports from EFTA countries, namely a mixture of industrial raw materials, fertilizers, turbo jets, and drugs.

Based on the records of the Ministry of Trade (Ministry of Trade), Indonesia's trade with EFTA last year was recorded at US $ 2.4 billion. If specified, the value of Indonesia's exports to the EFTA country is US $ 1.31 billion and imports are US $ 1.09 billion. As a result, Indonesia's trade balance with EFTA in 2017 was a surplus of US $ 22 million.