Trade Minister Urges Kadin Collaboration to Boost Trade

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesia's Trade Minister, Budi Santoso, called for stronger strategic collaboration between the Ministry of Trade and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to advance national trade amid global challenges.

He made the statement at the opening of Kadin’s 2026 National Coordination Meeting on Trade in Jakarta on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Minister Santoso further said that the synergy would focus on boosting the domestic market, expanding exports, and improving the competitiveness of local products in global markets.

The meeting carried the theme “Optimizing Domestic and International Trade and Accelerating Strategic Investment Toward the 8 Percent Growth Target.” It is expected to produce policy recommendations and a road map for accelerating national trade during the 2025–2029 period.

“Amid global challenges, Indonesia is maintaining its trade performance by strengthening the domestic market, expanding export markets, and improving the competitiveness of local products for the global market, with Kadin’s full support,” Santoso said in an official statement.

Moreover, he said the chamber of commerce is a strategic partner of the government in bridging the interests of business players at both the national and regional levels. According to him, collaboration is essential to ensure that the Ministry of Trade’s policies and programs are implemented effectively and bring optimal benefits to the business community.

He said the Ministry of Trade has three main programs: Safeguarding the Domestic Market, Expanding Export Markets, and From Local to Global. To bolster the domestic market, the ministry continuously encourages the use of local products while protecting the market through internationally recognized trade instruments, including antidumping and safeguard measures.

He added that the ministry is also working to strengthen the competitiveness of domestic products in the local market. Based on field monitoring, around 80 percent of products circulating in modern retail are domestically produced, a result he attributed to cooperation between the ministry and business associations.

On export expansion, the ministry continues to accelerate the completion of trade agreements with strategic partners to open wider market access for Indonesian products. These agreements are expected to be used optimally by national business players, including Kadin members, to increase competitiveness and global market penetration.

The ministry is also strengthening its “From Local to Global” program through "UMKM BISA Ekspor", which supports micro, small, and medium enterprises in becoming export-ready. The ministry has trade representatives in 46 locations across 33 countries, consisting of trade attachés and Indonesian Trade Promotion Centers.

Through the program, MSMEs are facilitated to present their products to trade representatives, who then help find buyers in international markets. In 2025, the program recorded transactions worth around US$134.8 million, equivalent to Rp2.6 trillion, with about 70 percent of participants being new exporters.

Santoso also highlighted the Campuspreneur program, which aims to develop young export-oriented entrepreneurs. The program has partnered with 19 universities across Indonesia and was officially launched on March 11, 2026. The ministry is also developing the Desa BISA Ekspor program to expand the exporter base to the village level.

Chairperson of Kadin Indonesia, Anindya N. Bakrie, said the business community remains committed to maintaining growth momentum despite global and domestic economic pressures. He said businesses are choosing to keep growing through efficiency and expansion, supported by policies that provide breathing space, remove barriers, and enlarge collaboration with the government.

Anindya added that adaptive policy support is needed to maintain business sustainability, including financing relaxation, regulatory simplification, and stronger access to markets and investment. The meeting was also attended by Kadin representatives from various regions, while Minister Santoso was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Trade.