JAKARTA, 2012, October 18 – In the midst of the global economic crisis, Indonesia has good reason to be proud with its high growth rate. However, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has said that Indonesia is not yet safe from the crisis. Therefore, he has encouraged the country, especially business players, to anticipate the impact of the economic crisis in Europe and the United States. The President requested to boost the country’s export performance to avoid the negative impact of potential export performance declines. The President also reiterated that a decline in exports could be a major cause of poverty. Therefore, he called for new opportunities to improve the country’s export capability.
Maintaining the growth momentum of Indonesia’s national export requires collaboration and a comprehensive program directed towards increasing the value-added output. To build partnerships and communications between Indonesian exporters, and to improve and strengthen national export performance, Prima Indonesia Exporter Community (Komunitas Eksporter Prima Indonesia) was formed on October 18th 2012. This community also serves as a forum to address international trade and export challenges. "The initiative comes from several Primaniyarta award-winning companies like Indah Kiat, Tjiwi Kimia, Pindo Deli, Gajah Tunggal and Insera Sena," said Catharina Widjaja, the chair of the community.
Furthermore, this community aims to improve national export performance through its members, by increasing national exports in Asian regional markets, linking exporters to become more globally connected and preparing national exporters in ASEAN Free Trade Areas (AFTA) and Chinese-ASEAN Free Trade Areas. Its membership includes national exporting companies, medium and large Indonesian exporters and export and import practitioners.
Currently, Prima Indonesia Exporter Community is comprised of several Primaniyarta award-winning companies. "But this community is also open for companies other than those that have won the Primaniyarta award," said Catharina.