DAVAO CITY — Indonesian officials said they hope to expand trade links with Mindanao by inviting businesses to participate in this year’s 33rd Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) in Tangerang, Indonesia on Oct. 24 to 28.
TEI focuses on business-to-business (B2B) matching and tourism and investment promotion.
“We are expecting more wholesalers and business owners so that the business (ties) will last… We can also arrange site visits,” Indonesian Consul General Berlian Napitupulu said in a media briefing.
Last year, TEI had around 26,000 visitors, including a “few businessmen” from Manila, Davao, and Zamboanga. The top five products in terms of transaction value were coal, coffee, essential oils, food and beverages, and palm oil, while the biggest export partners were Laos, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Italy.
“This year, we are hoping that we can bring in more (from the Mindanao) business sector,” Mr. Napitupulu said noting that the overall TEI 2018 target is 28,000 visitors from 125 countries and $1.5 billion worth of transactions.
DAVAO-BITUNG RORO
Meanwhile, the Indonesian diplomat said consolidators from Davao and Indonesia are needed to resume the Davao-Bitung roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) shipping service.
“We need consolidators because the potential is here and there but not consolidated. We need a consolidator from both sides, Mindanao and Indonesia. The vessel will not work if there is not enough load,” he said.
The RoRo cargo service, launched on April 30, 2017 by President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, initially covered the Davao-General Santos-Bitung route with a 500 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessel operated by Philippine firm Asian Marine Transport Corp.
However, with minimal cargo load demand, the vessel was replaced by an Indonesian-flagged boat, the Gloria 28, with a capacity of 256 TEUs. The Gloria 28 made only one voyage last year.
“Basically the problem is the load. This is just the beginning so volume is still low,” Mr. Napitupulu said.
He noted that potential remains high with various products that could be shipped, such as cement and pre-fabricated concrete from Indonesia, and agricultural and consumer goods from Mindanao.
Mr. Napitupulu added that at present, the cost of shipping between Surabaya and Davao, which are more than 2,000 kilometers (km) apart, is cheaper than the 640-km Davao-Bitung route.
“I don’t know if all businesses in Mindanao know the situation… Gloria 28 is waiting and everybody is waiting. We have to save this,” he said. — Maya M. Padillo
