SME man to attend Jakarta trade expo

 By JAMES APA GUMUNO 

THE chairman of the Jiwaka Small-to-Medium Enterprise Council left yesterday to attend an import trade expo in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Billy Kolip, who represents Jiwaka as well as highlands region, will try to find business opportunities for his people with the Indonesians.

The expo will be from Oct 17-26.

Kolip told The National from Vanimo yesterday the expo would be a very important event where he hoped to find new markets and sign business deals.

He said the people of Jiwaka would benefit a lot from his trip.

Kolip said his people grew a variety of cash crops and raised livestock but did not have enough markets for their produce.

Kolip said his trip to Jakarta may open new prospects for his people to sell their produce in Indonesia and get supplies from there for their trade stores.

He said these consumer goods were sold very cheap in Indonesia which they could sell at cheaper prices in Jiwaka, thus competing with those sold by Asian traders.

Meanwhile, he urged Jiwakans already in businesses and raising livestock or engaged in agriculture to register their business activities with the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) and become members of the SME council.