JAKARTA, April 25, 2018 - Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday opened the Indonesian Handicraft Expo, Inacraft 2018, which is in its 20th year. More than 1,500 exhibitors are taking part in the handicraft fair, held at the Jakarta Convention Centre from April 25 to 29. Gusmardi Bustami, head of the Association of Exporters and Producers of Indonesian Handicrafts (ASEPHI), and Tengku Erry Nuradi, the Governor of North Sumatra attended the opening ceremony. "Industry needs to find something to add beauty to it. Handicrafts depend on Indonesian culture and art," Mr Kalla told the gathering during the opening ceremony. The Indonesian vice president stressed the key role of handicrafts and the creative economy in general, in boosting economic growth in Indonesia. The objective is to increase the contribution of the handicraft industries to the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). He said that handicrafts, which are labour-intensive by nature, create job opportunities "especially in rural and urban areas". Mr Kalla described the five-day event as "extraordinary" as it is a key driver for the Indonesian handicraft industry and will help boost the creative economy in the long run. The handicrafts and the creative industries in general add high value to the economy. Inacraft, which was launched in 1999, has been an open marketplace for producers, merchants, exporters, exhibitors and shoppers for 20 years. The Indonesian government is targeting exports worth $2 billion of furniture and handicraft products in 2018. Mr Kalla confirmed the need to use e-commerce as a tool to increase exports and he said it was important to improve the quality of the products. According to him, setting standards that ensured high quality products would guarantee the inclusion of handicrafts in the e-commerce system.
