Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry said that in the first 10 months of this year, Indonesia’s furniture exports reached US$1.4 billion, an increase of 4.83% over the same period last year’s US$1.33 billion.

Gati Wibawaningsih, Director General of Small and Medium-sized Manufacturers of the Ministry of Industry, attributed the growth of exports to a series of activities organized by the Ministry of Industry, including training workers, upgrading manufacturers' production machines and some promotional activities. She said that the Ministry of Industry last week helped promote the furniture fair held in Yogyakarta, the central city of Java.

“We are committed to promoting the growth and development of the furniture industry, allowing us to be more competitive in the international market,” Gati said. At the same time, Sri Yunianti, director of the Department of Wood Products and Furniture of the Ministry, said that the Indonesian government has provided 88.61 billion rupees (about $60810) in funding to eight domestic furniture manufacturers this year to upgrade their production machines. 

She added that from 2014 to 2017, the Indonesian government has spent Rs 42.31 billion to improve the quality of products for 379 SMEs. According to Gati, the furniture industry in Indonesia currently provides 480,000 jobs, and by October this year, it has created a trade surplus of $99.1 million for Indonesia.