"The potential is quite promising, especially for construction material products, construction services and consumer products," deputy trade minister Bayu Khrisnamurthi said at a press conference here on Wednesday.
He said Indonesia is seeking to increase exports to Algeria because total non-oil/gas exports to that country were still small compared to their potential, worth only around US$250 million.
"We are expecting to increase exports to twice that," he added.
More than 900 participants from 26 countries, including Indonesia, are participating in the largest international trade fair in Algeria.
Indonesia had sent eight companies in the food and beverages, housing interior, leather products, jewelry and fashion industries to the event.
The deputy minister said the trade mission will be followed by discussions on cooperation with Jordan as the entry point for Indonesian products to the northern regions of the Middle East.
"Indonesia has also received an offer to develop business in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) area as an entry point to enter the northern part of the Middle East," he noted.
In addition to a meeting with Aqaba SEZA, the Indonesian delegation will also meet with several importers of Indonesian products in Jordan.
Aqaba SEZA is a special economic zone in Jordan and an entry point for Jordans exports and re-exports through a Free Trade Agreement mechanism with almost all countries in the world.
According to data from the National Statistics Agency, the total trade between Indonesia and Algeria had grown by 25.9 percent between 2009 and 2013.
Indonesias exports to Algeria, which are totally non-oil/gas products, are worth US$240.5 million, while Indonesias imports from that country are dominated by oil/gas valued at US$379.25 million.
Total value of trade between the two countries in 2013 was US$475.12 million, with a positive trend of growth of 17.17 percent.
Indonesias exports to Jordan consist of non-oil/gas products, such as plywood, palm oil, tuna, pasta, paper, tire, textiles and textile products, cigarettes, soap and cleaning products.
The countrys imports from Jordan, meanwhile, are dominated by phosphate and chemical products. ***2***
Reporting by Vicki Febrianto
(H-YH/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE.
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
