DILI, 13 april 2022 (TATOLI) – The Directorate of ASEAN Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, today, visited Timor-Leste’s local product exhibition, realized by the Secretary of State for Cooperatives (SECOOP) and the Hanai Federation, at the National Center of Cooperatives, in Dili.
The visit of the delegation aimed to identify Timor-Leste’s local products as well as the creativity of the Timorese people.
“Through this local products exhibition, we demonstrate our local products and the creativity of different cooperative groups to the delegation,” The Secretary of State for Cooperatives, Elizário Ferreira made the comments at the Local Product Exhibition at Timor-Leste’s National Center of Cooperatives, in Dili, today.
Ferreira said with the support of the delegation, SECOOP and the national cooperatives group would put effort to increase the quality and quantity of Timor-Leste’s local products to compete with other ASEAN members states in the ASEAN market: “To become part of ASEAN, we need to ensure the sustainability of our local products.”
“We would like to thank the delegation and the Indonesian Ambassador to Timor-Leste for the visit,” Ferreira said.
At the same place, the Director of ASEAN Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Berlianto Situnkir said that the Local Product Exhibition demonstrated Timor-Leste progress in accordance with the latest trend, especially in the creative economy.
“We are proud of these creative products and we would like to encourage SECOOP and cooperative products to improve the quality and quantity of these products. So that they can also be exported overseas, or attract foreign investment to Timor-Leste to further develop these products.
He said SECOOP needed to organize the same exhibition on a large scale in the future to encourage creative economists who were involved in the various cooperatives in Timor-Leste: “We hope that the creative industry can also contribute to Timor-Leste’s economic growth to be able to involve in ASEAN supply chain.”
In addition, Adelina Soares from Linda Hadomi Cultura Group expressed her contentment with selling her local products at the exhibition.
“As a widow, I am proud and happy to sell our local products in this exhibition. In every exhibition, I can make up to US$ 1.800 or 2.000,” Soares said. R
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Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Rafy Belo
