InfoSAWIT, MUMBAI – The Indonesian Ministry of Trade, through the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Chennai, is encouraging Indian business players to strengthen trade cooperation with Indonesia. The invitation was conveyed during the Jakarta–Mumbai Update (JaMU) 2025 Forum, held at the Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) office in Mumbai, India.
The Head of ITPC Chennai, Nugroho Priyo Pratomo, stated that the potential for increasing trade between the two countries remains wide open. He said this opportunity can be realized through business-to-business interaction, people-to-people contacts, and the utilization of cultural and tourism channels. "We are inviting more Indian business players to establish contact with Indonesian business players. Palm oil, for example, is one of the main commodities that continues to drive Indonesia's trade surplus with India," he said in an official statement received by InfoSAWIT on Sunday (9/14/2025).
The forum, organized by the Indonesian Consulate General in Mumbai, was attended by 148 participants, including entrepreneurs, academics, Indian government officials, consular officials, and Indonesia observers. In addition to discussing trade, the forum also showcased Indonesian culture through a photo exhibition on the history of Indonesia-India relations, a culinary corner with Indonesian dishes, a "pacu jalur" (traditional boat race) selfie wall, and a traditional West Sumatran dance performance.
Several figures appeared as speakers, including IMC President Sunita Ramnathkar, Indonesian Consul General in Mumbai Edy Wardoyo, Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia Juda Agung, University of Indonesia academic Evi Fitriani, Director of IIPC Nova Herlangga Masrie, and the economic attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi, Erry Herjuno. From the business side, Anant Singhania, former IMC president and CEO of JK Enterprises, shared his more than five decades of experience doing business in Indonesia. He believes that the availability of natural resources, including palm oil, combined with the support of a competent workforce and government policies, has been key to the smoothness of his investments.
During the forum, the 40th Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI), which will take place from October 15–19, 2025, at the ICE BSD City in Tangerang, was also introduced. TEI is known as Indonesia's largest trade event, where India has been the country with the largest transactions for the past two years. In 2024, the Indian delegation reached 944 participants with a total transaction value of US$7.46 billion and 33 business memorandums of understanding signed.
In terms of trade data, Indonesia-India relations show a positive trend. From January to July 2025, the total trade between the two countries reached US$13.66 billion. Indonesian exports were recorded at US$10.87 billion while imports from India were US$2.79 billion, giving Indonesia a surplus of US$8.09 billion. In 2024, the value of Indonesia-India trade surpassed US$26.07 billion, with Indonesia's main exports being coal, crude palm oil (CPO), and metals and metal products.
With the dominance of strategic commodities like palm oil, the JaMU 2025 forum is expected to strengthen business networks among business players and maintain the positive momentum of Indonesia-India trade relations. (T2)
