DILI, 01 march 2023 (TATOLI)- The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Timor-Leste together with the Office of Industry and Trade (DoTI) of East Java Province today held a webinar with the theme “Opportunities and Challenges of East Java and Timor Trade and Investment Cooperation -Leste.
This virtual business meeting is intended to exchange insights on the potential, opportunities, and challenges of East Java investment trade with Timor-Leste, as well as a business matching platform between potential buyers and sellers of trade and investment in the two regions.
“We hope that the meeting initiated by the East Java provincial government and the Indonesian Embassy can increase trade between East Java and Timor-Leste, our presence is only to connect business people to get to know each other,” explained the Ambassador of the Indonesian Embassy in Timor-Leste, Okto Dorinus Manik.
According to Ambassador, Timor-Leste acquires several business opportunities such as infrastructure, animal husbandry, fisheries, and rice exports where the annual need for TL rice reaches 140,000 tons and so far only from Vietnam.
In addition, several Indonesian companies have also opened branches in Timor-Leste, such as Bank Mandiri, Bank BRI (Bank Republic Indonesia), Pertamina, Telkomcel, WIKA (Wijaya Karya), Waskita Karya, Adhi Cipta and PP (Housing Development) as well as business sector restaurants and others.
The Head of the East Java Province Department of Industry and Trade, Iwan S. Hut said that Indonesia has a strategic role for TL because it has not been able to meet domestic needs independently. Thus, East Java has a very strategic role to implement cooperation between countries.
“Currently Indonesia is the main importing country for TL. Indonesia has the advantage of location because it is connected by land and there was a close kinship relationship in the past, causing Indonesian products to be better known by the people of East Timor than Portugal and China,” explained Iwan S.Hut.
He added that the two Governments currently have plans to build a free trade zone between Indonesia and TL where this scheme allows Indonesia to use TL’s export quotas to various countries.
“This is certainly an opportunity for East Java because later the available market share will not only be available but also for other countries, especially CPLP member countries (Portuguese Spoken Countries Community),” he added
The Head of the East Java Province (DoIT) revealed that currently there are more than 10,000 Indonesian citizens in East Timor who have opened restaurant businesses and hopes that all business actors can proactively take advantage of market opportunities and networks through a series of trade and investment mission activities in Timor-Leste.
It is known that the webinar was attended by around 100 participants consisting of entrepreneurs from East Java and TL as well as through a Zoom Meeting.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Timor-Leste (CCI-TL), Jorgen Manuel Serrano also, and some boards members such as Marli Yahya, Director of Centro Supermerkadu and Fernanda Reza M., Director of PT. Promotion of Indonesia Global Means.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
