Indonesian cement for East Timor

Business Asia, Sept 30, 1999

Indonesia's State Minister for Investment Marzuki Usman has called on the state-run cement producer, PT Semen Kupang, to export to East Timor in an effort to help the former Portuguese colony rebuild the war-torn region.

"East Timor will need various construction materials, including cement, in large quantity to rebuild the war-torn former Portuguese colony. Moreover, East Timor is only located a stone's throw from here," the minister added.

So far, PT Semen Kupang, with a production capacity of some 270,000 tonnes per annum, has been marketing its products to several eastern Indonesian regions.

PT Semen Kupang's president-director Taba affirmed that despite the current tense relations between Indonesia and Australia, the company's export of cement to Australia's Northern Territory was still running as usual.

"The Australian market is still given serious attention by PT Semen Kupang's management. The trade is still running well and thank God the cement export to Australia's Northern Territory is still running as usual," Taba said.

He said the construction of the second plant of PT Semen Kupang was in anticipation of increasing demand of cement in the South Pacific region covering Australia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

"If Australia finally breaks its trade relations with Indonesia, we still have another market in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the domestic one," he said.

-- Asia Pulse