It shows that there is a significant (export) potential for Indonesian products in the Philippines, especially for soaps. This is the opportunity that we need to take advantage of as far as possible
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Trade Ministry, through its attaché in Manila, held a virtual business-matching event to boost exports of cleaning products to the Philippines.



"Foresight and innovation are some (of) the keys to boosting national export performance amid the world economic condition that has been affected by COVID-19. The virtual business-matching carried out by all trade attachés overseas has shown that the Ministry of Trade is making serious efforts to boost exports," said director general of National Export Development, Kasan, in a statement received here on Wednesday.



Meanwhile, the Indonesian Trade Attaché in Manila, Lazuardi, said that, at the moment, the Philippines has significantly increased imports of cleaning soaps. Based on data from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA), the nation’s imports of soap products have seen an increase of US$37.4 million, or 27 percent, in the first quarter of 2020.



"The rise in imports of cleaning soaps by the Philippines is also due to the rise in the people's awareness on the importance of cleanliness amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows that there is a significant (export) potential for Indonesian products in the Philippines, especially for soaps. This is the opportunity that we need to take advantage of as far as possible," he said.



Lazuardi said he believed the business-matching event led to initial orders for five containers of Indonesian soap products, valued at US$85,000, as part of an agreement between Indonesia's PT Indokemika Jayatama and the Philippines’ Arvin International Marketing Inc.



Aside from that, the business-matching also helped bridge a meeting between PT Indomop Multi Makmur, an Indonesian exporter of cleaning products, with City Hardware, one of the largest retailers of construction materials in the Philippines with 70,000 stores.



PT Indomop Multi Makmur has routinely exported retail cleaning tools to HomeAid Philippines since 2007. HomeAid Philippines supplies building materials in the Metro Manila region. PT Indomop Multi Makmur exports products worth US$40 thousand to US$60 thousand annually.



The market share of Indonesian laundry soap products to the Philippines in the first quarter of 2020 was 31.64 percent. For the same quarter, the value of exports was pegged at US$9.3 million, an increase of 21.6 percent compared to the same period last year, when the figure stood at US$7.6 million.



In particular, exports of broom products, mops, and brushes increased by 82.9 percent, reaching US$193 million from US$105 million recorded in the same period last year. (INE)


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Translator: Sella PG/Aria Cindyara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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