The Indonesian Furniture and Handicraft Association (AMKRI) says it is optimistic that Indonesia will become the biggest furniture and handicraft exporter in Southeast Asia in the next decade.

"This is because we are rich in furniture's raw material and we have a lot of human resources," AMKRI secretary-general Abdul Sobur said in Jakarta on Thursday as quoted by Antara news agency.

The country's furniture export value reached US$1.8 billion last year, positioning Indonesia as the world's 18th largest furniture exporter.

Indonesia ranked third in Southeast Asia after Vietnam and Malaysia.

Abdul stated his hope that the new Cabinet would introduce a regulation to help furniture businessmen to develop their products and export them to foreign markets. He added that the industry was important for the nation's economy, since it could absorb the workforce.