RI`s imports hit another record high

JakartaForum-ANTARA News - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said Indonesia`s imports hit another record high at US$14.48 billion last March owing to improvements in the domestic economy.

"The previous record high of US$13.15 billion occurred in December 2010," BPS Chief Rusman Heriawan said here on Monday.

Imports in March rose 23.23 percent compared with the previous month or 31.96 percent compared with the same month last year, he said.

He said the imports rose thanks to the improving domestic economy. "It is also likely the imports rose because goods which previously entered the country illegally are now imported legally following the signing of a free trade accord which exempts the goods from import duties."

March`s imports consisted of non-oil/non-gas commodities worth US$11.60 billion and oil/gas commodities worth US$2.88 billion.

He said the non-oil/non-gas imports in March were dominated by machinery and mechanical appliances valued at US$1.92 billion, a 19.32 percent increase compared to the previous month.

Overall, imports in the first three months of 2011 rose 29.46 percent to US$38.79 billion compared to the same period last year.

"The import value of all groups of goods rose from the previous year," he said.

BPS data show the import of consumer goods in the first quarter of 2011 increased 48.19 percent, raw materials/auxiliary materials 31.32 percent and capital goods 17.77 percent compared to the same period last year.

During the first three months of 2011 China was the biggest supplier of imported goods to Indonesia with a value of US$5.30 billion, accounting for 17.43 percent of the overall non-oil/non-gas imports.

Japan came in second with US$4.42 billion (14.53 percent) and Thailand in third with US$2.58 billion (8.50 percent).

Thailand overtook Singapore as the third biggest supplier of non-oil/non-gas commodities to Indonesia, he said.

Indonesia`s non-oil/non-gas imports from other ASEAN member states and European Union respectively reached 23.94 percent and 8.76 percent of the overall non-oil/non-gas imports. (T.M035/S012/HAJM/F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH

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