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Exports increase by 19.2 percent to $26b in first two months
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Central Statistics Agency (BPS) chief Suhariyanto speaks to journalists after a press conference at the BPS headquarters in Jakarta. (JP/Anton Hermansyah)
E
xports during January to February increased by 19.2 percent to US$ 25.98 billion from $21.79 billion in the same period last year thanks to recovered commodity prices.
Non-oil-and-gas exports contributed $23.51 billion, which was a 20.11 percent increase, while oil and gas exports contributed $2.47 billion, which was an 11.26 percent increase.
Exports for February alone reached $12.57 billion, a 6.2 percent decrease from $13.4 billion in January due to seasonality factor.
“Ceclining exports in February is merely due to seasonal factors,” said Central Statistics Agency (BPS) head Suhariyanto on Wednesday.
(Read also: Ministry suggests 5 percent tax cut for export-oriented industries)
Commodities that enjoyed the highest surge in the second month of the year were jewelry (a $252 million increase), rubber and articles, organic chemicals, vehicles and spare parts and pharmacy products.
Meanwhile, ore and ash metal suffered the biggest drop (a $316 million decrease), followed by mineral fuels, vegetable and animal fats, copper and steel and iron.
The regions accounting for the most exported products remain West Java (automotive, printers and tires), Riau (crude palm oil and palm products) and East Kalimantan (natural gas and coals), which together contributed 39.11 percent of the total exports for the two months.
Imports in the first two months, meanwhile, also increased by 12.51 percent to $23.22 billion, comprising $18.97 billion in non-oil-and-gas imports that increased by only 3.67 percent and $4.2 billion in oil-and-gas imports, which surged by 82 percent.
The progress led Indonesia to enjoy a trade surplus of $2.7 billion. (bbn)
