26/10/2011 (Jakarta Globe) - Indonesia posted a 26 percent rise in trade deals and beat expectations during a five-day trade expo that ended on Sunday in Jakarta.

Total agreements rose to $464.5 million this year from $369.3 million last year, a Trade Ministry official said.

“Trade deals exceeded the target, with furniture products leading the transactions,’’ Bayu Krishnamurthi, deputy trade minister, said on Tuesday. The government had set a $380 million target for the event.

Furniture accounted for 40.8 percent of the total trade agreements, Bayu said.

Other goods dominating the Trade Expo Indonesia included agricultural products, which accounted for 10.3 percent, handicrafts with 9.4 percent and jewelry at 7.8 percent, Bayu said.

More than 8300 buyers from 92 countries attended this year’s trade expo, which was the 26th annual event.

Demand for services was more than $200 million, mostly in the health sector for workers such as nurses and caregivers. Bayu estimated 14,900 workers were requested by a total of 19 countries.

“The biggest request was from Australia for medical and paramedic work,” he said.

Nigeria, India, Bangladesh and Middle Eastern nations were had the most interest in Indonesian workers.

Bayu said the government was optimistic that Indonesia could book $200 billion from its exports this year, up 26.6 percent from last year. That figure includes exports in oil and gas, manufacturing and natural resources such as crude palm oil, coal and rubber.

“Strong sales from the expo convinced us [the target is within reach],’’ Bayu said.

The trade expo helped some enterprises make deals.

“Some trade mission envoys, including those from Nigeria, Namibia, Afghanistan and Hungary, were not only buying. They also wanted to establish business networks and plan for investing here,” Bayu said.

For example, he said that Nigerian Diamonds and Steel Group signed a memorandum of understanding with agriculture equipment distributor Rutan for a $50 million contract. The company plans to hire local agricultural experts as well as purchase equipment.

Edi Widjanarko, chairman of the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo), said last week that the expo had yielded more orders from the United States for Indonesian footwear products, particularly formal and casual shoes.

According to data from Aprisindo, US consumers accounted for 22.6 percent of Indonesia’s total $2.6 billion in footwear exports for 2010.