Victoria, Australia – Chairman of the North Sumatra Provincial Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Firsal Dida Mutyara said North Sumatra is strategically positioned to become a partner in developing trade and investment between Indonesia and the State of Victoria.

Dida made the statement while speaking at the International Indonesia–Victoria Regional Business Matching Forum, themed “Partners in Growth, Five Sectors Trade in Both Directions – What Indonesia is Buying, What It Can Supply, and the Provincial Counterpart on the Other Side,” in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, on Wednesday (September 16, 2026).

At the forum, Dida highlighted several sectors with potential for cooperation between North Sumatra and Victoria. The five sectors are food and agriculture, renewable energy, education and vocational training, tourism, and information technology.

“Indonesia and Australia, particularly Victoria, have a high degree of economic complementarity. North Sumatra is not only ready to supply leading commodities and manufactured products to the Australian market, but can also serve as a gateway for products, technology, and investment from Victoria into western Indonesia,” Dida said.

In his presentation, Dida also outlined Indonesia’s import needs as well as the potential commodities and products from North Sumatra that could be developed for the Australian market.

He added that the five-sector approach is expected to foster balanced and mutually beneficial trade relations while strengthening regional industries.

Dida expressed hope that the series of meetings would be followed by concrete cooperation between business communities in North Sumatra and Victoria.

“We hope that the dialogue and exploratory discussions can be followed up with transactions and long-term business partnerships that bring benefits to both regions,” he concluded.