Where coal meets coconut
Indonesia and Poland may not seem the most obvious business partners, however business leaders from both countries and the Indonesian embassy in Poland are currently taking steps to strengthen ties.
At a recent seminar on investment possibilities in South Sumatra, Mahbub Iskandar, director of HR and general affairs with coal-producer PT Bukit Asam, presented opportunities for investment in the province's local coal industry. Cooperation between interested local partners could be lucrative, especially given the region's 22.24 billion tons of coal reserves, which account for 48.45 percent of Indonesia's national reserves.
Other representatives at the conference discussed possible cooperation in marketing and distributing Indonesian products in Poland. According to Henry Kaitjily, First Secretary of Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in Poland, the Indonesian government is taking steps to raise awareness in Poland about the country's products and investment opportunities. There is, for example, a possibility of establishing a Polish-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, though Kaitjily says this is still "in the idea stage."
Showrooms displaying Indonesian furniture, handicrafts and jewelry, are a more readily apparent part of the Embassy's strategy. "The official openings of our first showrooms, in Poznań and [the outskirts of] Warsaw, will be at the end of this month. Two more showrooms, in Wrocław and Kraków, should open by the end of the year," said Kaitjily.
Roman Fedorczuk, president of marketing firm Grupa ABK, is also interested in promoting Indonesian products in Poland. "We'd like to set up a showroom in the center of Warsaw, around 500-1,000 sqm, to better display these products," he said. Grupa ABK is also working with the Embassy to arrange an "Indonesian Expo" which will most likely be held from May 7-11, 2008, at the Warsaw International Expocentre.
Regarding Polish investments in Indonesia, Kaitjily mentioned that an agreement had been signed in mid-June by Polish mining firm Kopex for the construction of a coal mine in the province of South Kalimantan (Borneo). Kopex's press spokesperson, Justyna Banek, confirmed that the agreement was signed with Indonesian firm PT Wahana Baratama. She added that exploratory work was being conducted but that the value of the contract wouldn't be known "until October, when the full contract is to be signed." Nevertheless, Kaitjily suggested that the investment could come to "around $1 [zł.2.84] billion."
