Present At The IISIA Business Forum 2023, Zulhas Appreciates Indonesia's Steel Industry Technology Ability

Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan. (Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan appreciated the technological capabilities of the domestic steel industry for being able to show its competitiveness. This appreciation was given after he visited a number of booths at the IISIA Business Forum (IBF) 2023.

"Indonesia's ability (indonesia) is not inferior. In fact, Krakatau was the first, I remember because it was the first person who woke up, I remember Mr. Maryuni. So, I memorize it about Posco," said the man who is often called Zulhas at ICE BSD, Tangerang, Thursday, November 9.

Zulhas also emphasized the importance of collaboration and an mutually supportive ecosystem in strengthening the domestic steel industry.

With solid collaboration and continuous support, the Indonesian steel industry is considered capable of competing at the global level and making a significant contribution to the national economy.

"The ecosystem must support each other," he said. Collaboration is a key word," he said.

He added that his party had sought steps to support the progress of the country's steel industry, such as tightening imports.

"We support the domestic industry, especially industries like steel. Therefore, we have taken several steps. For example, the president's order, right, to tighten imports, but I say it is regulated, arranged. Yesterday post border, now it must be bordered," he said.

According to Zulhas, later steel products that want to enter Indonesia must go through a number of checks so that it is known whether the goods have met the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) or not.

"(The incoming steel products) were seen and checked. Not only were they surveyed abroad, but they were also checked, including circulating items, we also checked whether it was SNI or not," he said.

The next step is to make exports easier. Zulhas said that his party had also entered into trade agreements with many countries. For example, with China, South Korea, Latin American countries, Africa, and so on.

According to Zulhas, most countries currently have made it easier to access exports by boosting the construction of their roads, even waiving tariffs on toll roads. So, he continued, Indonesia needs the same thing in order to boost its exports abroad.

"Exports will later (must) have toll roads (tollways) or easy roads. We hope that later the tariffs will be free, because if the tariffs are not free, we will lose competing. That's what the government is doing," he concluded.

For your information, this year's IBF was attended by more than 90 participants from national companies, foreign companies, ministries, associations, educational institutions, and also invited MSMEs to participate in enlivening this event.

At IBF 2023, 11 keynote speakers will be presented from several ministries, 6 associate speakers, 5 international speakers, and 2 academic speakers.

This activity is also supported by 50 sponsors, both from national companies and international companies.

In addition to exhibitions, the IBF 2023 activities also consist of seminars and talk shows with expert speakers, practitioners, and professionals in the national steel industry ecosystem, exhibitions of national and international steel technology products, follow-up collaboration with industry and professional associations in increasing the use of domestic steel products, as well as design green infrastructure.