Businesses strongly criticized the government's upbeat forecast of 8 percent growth in non oil and gas exports for 2009 as "unrealistic", arguing that exports of non oil and gas commodities will instead drop steeply. The Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) and other business groupings slammed the government target as too optimistic and lacking in detailed explanations. Apindo chairman Sofjan Wanandi said there is little chance the country would post a growth in exports this year because of continued weakening in global demand. "Where did that (8 percent) growth number even come from? with the global economy, I expect that exports, particularly of manufactured goods, will instead decline by between 10 and 20 percent (from 2008)," he said. He said exports were very unlikely to ...