REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SEMARANG -- Indonesian entrepreneurs are being urged to open new markets in addition to ASEAN and China to increase the export of their products such as foods, beverages, shoes and clothes, an economist has remarked.
"Opening new markets is important in order to expand the economy," an economic observer of the Jakarta-based Paramadina University, Aviliani, stated here on Wednesday.
The effort to open new markets is important in view of the efforts to shore up the rupiah's exchange rate against the US dollar, she pointed out.
By opening new markets, entrepreneurs will be able to export products in larger even if the demand from a particular market dips.
Apart from opening new markets, entrepreneurs should also think about ways to substitute imports, Aviliani explained.
"The aim is that the country does not remain dependent on imports, and increase the level of competitiveness," she noted.
ASEAN comprises Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, The Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.