REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to inaugurate the ninth Indonesian Palm Oil Conference (IPOC) in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday.
"This year, IPOC is very special as the President will inaugurate the event. In previous years, the conference has been inaugurated by ministers," chief of the event's organizing committee Mona Surya said here on Wednesday.
With the conference being held in Bandung, the Association of Indonesian Palm Oil Producers (GAPKI), as the event organizer, hopes to promote the capital of West Java province to the rest of the world, he noted.
IPOC has been held eight times in the world-renowned tourist island of Bali, he added.
The Bandung conference aims to showcase the latest developments in the global palm oil industry, as well as the industry's prospects in 2014. In addition, it aims to promote Indonesian palm oil exports to increase the country's foreign trade, he said.
He pointed out that IPOC also served as a platform for businesses, stakeholders and policy makers at the national and international levels to discuss strategic issues related to the upstream and downstream palm oil industries.
The two-day conference, which is being held under the theme "Managing the Market: Strengthening the Industry Value Chain", will bring together participants from 30 countries.
The conference will be attended by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa, Agriculture Minister Suswono, Chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Mahendra Siregar and Chairman of the National Economic Committee Chairul Tanjung.
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