Indonesia`s single largest furniture and handicraft show, IFEX (the Indonesia International Furniture Expo) closes on 14 March 2014 after setting a new record in terms of visitor attendance. The success of the event confirms the country`s growing strength, and popularity, in this sector, and sets the stage for an even larger show scheduled for March 2015.

"Our efforts in collaboration with organizer UBM have more than paid off. Our goal was to surpass in quality and quantity the furniture and handicraft expos that have taken place in Indonesia and the past, and the response from buyers, visitors, the media, and the government, suggests that we have achieved that. This is a great encouragement for us to do even better in 2015," said Mr. Soenoto, Chairman of AMKRI (the Association of Indonesian Furniture and Handicrafts) which hosted IFEX at the JIExpo venue.

The show featured about 400 exhibitors showcasing a wide array of wooden, rattan and bamboo furniture and handicrafts for living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, family rooms, as well as children furniture. The diversity and quality of the showcase confirms Indonesia`s considerable progress in this industry, making IFEX an unmissable destination for any serious furniture and handicraft buyer. IFEX drew about 6,113 trade visitors, 2,021 of whom were from overseas.

Indonesia has all the elements to become a strategic furniture hub. In fact, AMKRI aims for the sector to reach US$ 5 billion in exports within the next 5 years. The only factor that casts a cloud on the last day of IFEX is the recent push by Indonesia`s Ministry of Forestry to lift the ban on exports of raw logs. This presents a major supply risk for the furniture and handicrafts sector, as illustrated by the damage that the rattan sector suffered several years ago before a ban on raw rattan exports was put in place.

"A strong industry is one that has access to sustainable supplies of materials, and this is why we need the ban", stressed Mr. Soenoto, strongly encouraging the Ministry of Forestry to avoid regulations that are not conducive to domestic business. He emphasized AMKRI`s appreciation for the current log exports ban, with the hope that it would stay in place.