Minister Of Industry Showcases The Success Of The Indonesian Industry To Diaspora In Germany

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Industry)

JAKARTA - Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita held a meeting with students and diaspora from Indonesia in Berlin, Germany in the context of the Hannover Messe 2023 industrial technology exhibition agenda.

According to Agus, Indonesia is the only country in the world that has been the Official Partner Country Hannover Messe three times, and has twice been a country partner in three consecutive years.

"Alhamdulillah, in 2023 we are here again. This should not be wasted and we must use it as a partner country as well as possible," he said in a written statement quoted on Sunday, April 16.

Agus explained that although Hannover Messe 2023 has not been officially opened, as of last Friday, there has been a signing of a Business to Business (B to B) contract worth US$2 billion.

"This shows that our industrial performance is quite encouraging, as shown by the manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) which has been over 16 consecutive months above 50 points. Finally, it rose from 51.2 in February 2023 to 51.9 in March 2023. This further strengthens the confidence of manufacturing industry players," he said.

As for the absorption of labor in the manufacturing sector, it is generally claimed to have returned to normal and even higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are several manufacturing sub-sectors that are still under pressure such as the textile and textile product (TPT) industry. This condition occurs due to the weak influence of the market, especially the European region.

Furthermore, the Minister of Industry said that the Ministry of Industry is focused on overseeing the increase in the use of domestic products (P3DN) to protect the domestic industry. This principle is also applied in establishing cooperative relations with other countries, including the Indonesia 'European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (I-EU CEPA) negotiations.

"We support the implementation of the agreement which is also designed to maintain the competitiveness of the industrial sector in Indonesia," concluded Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang.