Caption: West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil when receiving an honorary visit from the Georgian Ambassador to Indonesia H.E. Irakli Asashvili in the Pakuan Building, Bandung City, Tuesday (6/8/19).

BANDUNG CITY - West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil received an honorary visit from the Georgian Ambassador to Indonesia H.E Irakli Asashvili at the Pakuan Building, Bandung City, Tuesday (6/8/19). During the meeting, the two sides discussed trade cooperation, especially West Java coffee exports to Georgia. According to RK - as Ridwan Kamil is called -, approximately 90 percent of Georgia's coffee imports come from Indonesia, but not done directly. Therefore, through cooperation with West Java, it is expected that Georgia coffee imports can be done directly or direct trade from Indonesia.

"We have just heard that 90 percent of the coffee turns out to come from Indonesia. So, we will immediately focus on exporting coffee, especially Robusta," RK said when met after the meeting.

"Because it turns out that now Indonesia's coffee goes first to Western Europe and then sold to Georgia. So, the price is too expensive."

"With him coming here we will change the model to direct trade of West Java farmers," he added.

To follow up on the meeting, said RK, in the near future there will be a visit of coffee entrepreneurs from Georgia. Then, the entrepreneurs will meet directly with coffee farmers in West Java.

"There will be additional visits, coffee makers will come. I will later meet with farmers' cooperatives, so that there will just be a fair export-import," he said.

In addition to coffee trade cooperation, Georgia is also interested in other things from West Java, such as bureaucratic reform and economic vision. In addition, there was a desire from Georgia to buy aircraft made by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI).

"He (Ambassador Geoegia) chose West Java because there was a lot of positive news during the ten months (the leadership of Ridwan Kamil-Uu Ruzhanul Ulum in West Java), related to bureaucratic reform, economic vision, and others," said RK.

"He (Ambassador Georgia) is also interested in buying airplanes from PT DI and of course we will also see what we can buy (from Georgia) so that the trade balance is also balanced," he added.

The same thing also said by H.E. Irakli Asashvili. He admitted, his meeting with the Governor of West Java was very meaningful. During the meeting, it was discussed about the export-import cooperation between Georgia and West Java, one of which was coffee.

"We discussed cooperation between Georgia and West Java. We discussed trade or export-import cooperation that might be possible, especially coffee," said Irakli.

"And we also talk about bureaucratic reform, we share information related to that," he added.

According to Irakli, his meeting with the Governor of West Java was the first step in the planned visit of Georgian businessmen to West Java.

"This meeting is also a step for our preparation to conduct a business forum which will be attended by entrepreneurs from Georgia," he concluded.

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HUMAS JABAR

Head of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau of the Regional Secretariat of West Java Province

Hermansyah