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A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 4
Business Luncheon with Mr. Muhammad Lufti,
Minister of Trade, the Republic of Indonesia
The former ambassador of Indonesia to Japan,
Mr. Muhammad Lufti, was appointed by the former
president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as Minister
of Trade as from February 2014. In his 8 month as
government official, he was convinced to safeguard
stable prices, increase the country’s exports, and
promote the environmental sustainability. During the
EKONID Business Luncheon, which was held on the
29th of April at Hotel Borobudur in Jakarta, the freshly
appointed Minister of Trade was the keynote speaker.
Within his speech he assessed the current state of
Indonesia’s situation in terms of import and export and
also demonstrated the development of certain Industries
by taking examples like the automotive industry, he said
that up till now Daihatsu has greater output in their
factory in Indonesia than in its headquarter in Japan.
In conclusion he identified a main trend in Indonesian
trade: “A good solid middle-class and a very strong
market, do, did and will invite investments.” But he
also admitted that Indonesia has space to improve
itself. The energy supply, for instance, is a topic that
Indonesia will never be perfect at, as the country
comprises of 17,000 islands, he argues, but at the
same time he underlined the huge potential for
Indonesia of geothermal energy, especially for trade
in the future.
