Indonesia Eyeing Export Opportunities to Afghanistan

Afghanistan has expressed interest to import Indonesian products. Indonesia and Afghanistan have already establish trade relations covering finished products albeit at a relatively small amount. Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said that the government has welcomed Afghanistan’s import proposal. The export will primarily include consumer goods.

“Afghan President has come here, and now they said that they are interested in importing some commodities from Indonesia. Indonesia and Afghanistan trade volume is not quite significant yet,” Airlangga said yesterday after meeting Afghanistan Ambassador to Indonesia Roya Rahmani in Jakarta.

Airlangga said that Afghanistan is one of Indonesia’s industrial product export destinations as the country imports almost 90 percent of its daily needs. Some products, according to Airlangga, have the potential to be exported to Afghanistan, such as textile, pharmaceutical, construction products, and food and beverages. Indonesian business delegates will be departing for Afghanistan in the near future.

Data from the Industry Ministry show that electronics and its appliances make up the most of Indonesia’s industrial product exports to Afghanistan, reaching US$ 3.54 million last year.

Other products with high export value are pharmaceutical, household products, cosmetics, mirror, tea and coffee, vegetable oil, rubber and chemicals. In 2016, Indonesia’s export to Afghanistan is valued at US$16.22 million.

In the same period, imports from Afghanistan amounted to US$ 31.1 million, meaning that Indonesia posted a US$ 16.19 million surplus. Indonesia imported some commodities from the country such as processed fruit, electronics and steel products.