T

he government says it wants to boost exports of non-oil-and-gas products to South Africa and Angola in 2012 as part of a market diversification push.

Gatot Prasetyo Adjie, the Trade Ministry’s export development cooperation director, said on Monday that the government aimed at exporting US$868.85 million in products to South Africa in 2012, up from an estimated $755.53 million this year and from $671.35 million in 2010.

In the first five months of this year, exports to South Africa reached $543.35 million, a 106.35 percent increase over $263.32 million in the same period last year.

Gatot added that the government also targeted exporting $180.27 million in goods to Angola in 2012, up from a forecasted $163.89 million in 2011 and $148.99 million in 2011.

Indonesia’s exports to Angola topped $33.5 million between January to May, down 64.11 percent from $93.33 million in the same period last year.

“We picked Angola and South Africa because those two nations are our biggest trading markets among Southern African countries,” Gatot told The Jakarta Post at his office.

Indonesia exported $2.96 billion in goods to Africa between January to July 2011, up from $1.89 billion in the same period last year.

Nations of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) were the main destinations for local goods in Africa, taking $1.17 billion in Indonesian products between January and July 2011, up from $628.57 million in the same period last year.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) received $508.98 million of goods and the East African Community (EAC) received $344.71 million during the same period in 2011.

In the same period in 2010, ECOWAS got $392.14 million and EAC received $91.38 million.

From Dec. 6 to 14, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu will lead a delegation to Angola and South Africa to explore business opportunities.

The non-oil-and-gas products exported from Indonesia to South Africa include palm oil and associated products, rubber, garments, paper, footwear, coconuts, engines, wood, automotive components, tires and cars.

Meanwhile, the products exported by Indonesia to Angola include palm oil, cars, soap, margarine, preserved fish, paper and chemical products.

Mintardjo Halim, the executive for Africa at the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), said Indonesia’s exports to Africa were $3 billion to $4 billion in 2010, above the government’s estimate of $2.96 billion.

Mintardjo said that local exports to Africa would increase 60 percent by the end of the year, adding, however, that Indonesia’s exports still lagged behind Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. (fem)