Exports of Indonesian forestry products to Japan decline in January-November 2020

It dropped 15 percent year-on-year to USD 1.06 billion this year

Exports of Indonesian forestry products to Japan in the January-November 2020 period dropped 15 percent from 1.24 USD billion in 2019 to USD 1.06 billion this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, said the Chairman of the Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association (APHI), who is also Chair of the Indonesian Forestry Community Communication Forum (FKMPI), Indroyono Soesilo, according to Republica.co.id.

"Especially for paper products, exports to Japan in January-November 2020 reached USD 307 million, down 14 percent compared to exports in 2019 in the same period which reached USD 357 million", he said.

However, the Indonesian Ambassador to Tokyo, Heri Akhmadi, said that the Indonesian forestry industry products exports has reached a 13 percent share of exports of paper products to Japan, competing with China, the United States, Finland and South Korea.

In connection with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the pulp and paper industry, Heri emphasized that in the cooperation of the upstream-downstream forestry industry, Indonesia-Japan, it is necessary to improve coordination, communication and attention to local communities.

"SDGs are not only about economic and ecological development, but also about society and it needs to be ensured that SDGs will help people or local communities get a better life while protecting forests and biodiversity," said Heri.

To increase pulp and paper exports to Japan, Indroyono explained, consumers in Japan have a high preference for environment-friendly products. It needs to be convinced that pulp and paper in Indonesia are products whose raw materials come from sustainable plantations. In addition, it has also been certified through the Timber Legality Verification System, as well as voluntary schemes such as the Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

KLHK Production Forest Business Director Istanto stated that in Indonesia there are 293 Industrial Plantation Forest Business Units (HTI). As many as 75 percent of them supply raw materials for 10 Pulp and Paper Industries in the country, four of which are Japanese investment.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Indonesian Pulp & Paper Association (APKI), Liana Bratasida, stated that 50 percent of the raw material for paper comes from plantation forests and the remaining 50 percent is recycled paper.

"Japan is one of the major recycled paper exporting countries to Indonesia, and paper recycling activities certainly strongly support environmental aspects and are in line with the SDGs goals," said Liana.