Semarang, June 2, 2025 — The Faculty of Economics and Business, Diponegoro University (FEB Undip) held a Sharing Session on Indonesia’s International Trade Policy for the Fisheries and Textile Sectors in Facing the Trade War, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia. Taking place in the Pertamina Hall, 3rd Floor of the FEB Undip Dean’s Building, this event took place from 13.00 to 16.00 WIB and was attended by hundreds of students from various study programs and FEB Undip lecturers.
This activity is a forum for collaboration between academics and government practitioners to comprehensively discuss the conditions of Indonesia’s international trade, especially in two strategic sectors: fisheries and textiles. These two sectors are not only major contributors to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but also absorb millions of workers and are the main commodities of Indonesia’s non-oil and gas exports.
The event was opened with remarks by the Dean of FEB Undip, Prof. Faisal, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D and continued with a keynote speech by the representative of the Head of the Trade Policy Agency, Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia, Fajarini Puntodewi, S.H., M.Sc, who emphasized the importance of adaptive trade strategies in the context of unstable global geopolitics.
Speakers from the Ministry of Trade, including Mr. Ferry Samuel Jacob, Ms. Dian Dwi Laksani, Mr. Rido Meyrandoyo, and Ms. Rizky Eka Putri, delivered in-depth trade analysis. Topics raised included:
Evaluation of the impact of free trade agreements (FTAs) on national industrial resilience.
Export protection and promotion policies in the fisheries and textile sectors.
Analysis of trade balance imbalances and recommendations for export-import restructuring.
National strategies in dealing with global pressures due to the US-China trade war.
One of the discussion sessions in the Sharing Session event
The material discussed not only touched on technical aspects of policy, but also socio-economic dimensions, such as sustainability challenges, labor rights, and the inclusion of MSMEs in the global supply chain. In a special session, Dr. Jaka Aminata, S.E., M.A., Head of the Undergraduate Program in Economics, FEB Undip, presented a material entitled “The Complexity of Indonesia’s Trade Policy: Fisheries & Textile Sectors Facing Trade War and Future Outlook”. This presentation dissects the evolution of Indonesia’s trade policy from the import substitution era to the current liberalization, as well as the challenges faced in dealing with trade wars, dependence on primary markets, and technological gaps. In his presentation, Dr. Jaka emphasized the importance of:
Diversification of export markets and trading partners.
Technological innovation and digitalization of the manufacturing industry.
Improving the quality of human resources and reforming trade regulations.
Strengthening the role of MSMEs and the creative economy as the mainstay of national competitiveness.
Photo with the Audience Sharing Session
The event took place with a registration session, opening, presentation of materials by ministry speakers, an academic session by FEB Undip, to an interactive discussion that was enthusiastically attended by students from various departments: Accounting, Management, Economics, Islamic Economics, and Digital Business.
This activity not only enriches students’ insights in the field of international trade, but also becomes a vehicle for direct knowledge transfer from central policy practitioners to future economists and policy analysts. FEB Undip demonstrates its commitment as an adaptive institution that is closely connected to global dynamics, in accordance with the vision of becoming a world-class faculty in economics and business.
FEB Undip will continue to establish strategic synergies with government institutions, industrial sectors, and international partners in order to prepare graduates who are responsive to global challenges and opportunities.
