THAI SMES TO EXHIBIT PRODUCTS IN JAKARTA

Jakarta, Jun 16 (ANTARA) - Some 79 Thai small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) will seek to expand their markets in Indonesia at a "Thailand Exhibition" to be held in Jakarta June 19-22, a Thai official said.

"Indonesia with its population of more than 240 million is a potential market for Thai products," minister counsellor for commercial affairs at the Thai Embassy, Supawadee Yamgamol, said here Monday.

She said Indonesia was an important country in commercial terms to Thailand as it was Thailand's eighth biggest trading partner.

"Bilateral trade is increasing every year. In 2007, Thailand-Indonesia trade reached a total value of US$8.753 billion, up 30 percent from the figure in 2006," she said.

Thailand's exports to Indonesia in 2007 were worth a total of US$4.7 billion with the five main export commodities being cars, car accessories and spare parts, sugar, machinery and spare parts, chemical products, iron and steel.

Its imports from Indonesia during the same year reached a value of US$3.9 billion conisting mainly of primary and raw materials, iron ore, scrap, chemical products, crude oil, machinery and spare parts.

"Last year, our exports to Indonesia increased by some 40 percent compared to the previous year. This year, the target of our exports to Indonesia will only be 10 percent because our exports last year were high enough," Supawadee said.

To be beld for the third time by Thailand's export promotion department, the Thailand Exhibition is expected to make Thai products better known to the Indonesian public.

"For now, we will only be making trade transactions, buy and sell. Investment will be the next stage, after the trade transactions," she added.

The goods to be displayed at the exhibition would come in 18 groups , including fresh fruit, processed food, beverages, electronic goods, automotive spare parts.

Also to be shown would be jewelry, footwear, household implements, construction materials and floors, machinery and spare parts, pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, textiles, garments, decorative items, gifts, handicrafts and "One Tambon, One Product" items.

"We hope transactions at the exhibition will reach more than US$1 million. But achieving the target is not our main aim. What's more important to us is that Thai products become more widely known by Indonesians," she said.

A similar exhibition held in 2007 was visited by more than 20,000 people.

Thailand is also actively promoting its SME products in other ASEAN countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and the Philippines.