Inflation fell 0.27 percent in October<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The monthly inflation rate dropped 0.27 percent
\nin October this year, the first deflation recorded since the
\nfinancial turmoil hit the country early last year, the Central
\nBureau of Statistics (BPS) reported on Monday.<\/p>\n
The bureau's deputy chairman Kusmadi Saleh said a decline in
\nfood prices, especially rice, cooking oil, sugar and wheat, was
\nthe main reason for negative inflation during the month.<\/p>\n
He said that the price of raw food products declined by 1.85
\npercent and that clothing prices fell by 1.89 percent in October.<\/p>\n
\"In raw food products, the main contributor to the decline was
\nrice, which fell 0.58 percent and cooking oil, which was down
\n0.20 percent,\" Kusmadi said.<\/p>\n
He said that processed foods, beverages, cigarettes and
\ntobacco prices rose 0.61 percent, and that health products and
\nservices recorded the highest increase, rising 2.0 percent in the
\nsame month.<\/p>\n
He said that housing prices rose 0.92 percent, education,
\nrecreation and sports 0.41 percent and transportation 0.26
\npercent over the same period.<\/p>\n
Kusmadi said the drop in the price of rice, the nation's basic
\nstaple food, did not guarantee stable prices in the coming
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
\"Deflation does not mean that prices are under control,' he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said that the inflow of international rice aid and
\ngovernment imports was a contributory factor to the fall in the
\nprice of rice.<\/p>\n
He said the rate of inflation had shown a declining trend over
\nthe past three months as a result of signs of improvement in the
\ncountry's economy.<\/p>\n
The consumer price index rose 3.75 percent in September, much
\nless than the 6.30 percent rise recorded in the previous month.<\/p>\n
\"The rate of increase in the inflation rate is continuing to
\ndecline,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government and the International Monetary Fund
\n(IMF) expect inflation to be running at 80 percent over the 1998
\ncalendar year.<\/p>\n
But the accumulative inflation rate for the 10 months ending
\nin October stands at 75 percent.<\/p>\n
Indonesia booked an international trade surplus of US$1.85
\nbillion in August, lower than the $2.2 billion recorded in July,
\nthe statistics office said.<\/p>\n
Kusmadi said that the value of Indonesian exports reached a
\ntotal of $4.03 billion in August, with non-oil and gas trade
\naccounting for $3.42 billion and oil and gas exports making up
\nthe remaining $609.2 million.<\/p>\n
Total exports for the eight month period ending in August
\ndeclined slightly to $33.18 billion from $34.79 billion over the
\ncorresponding period last year.<\/p>\n
He said that the country's imports totaled $2.18 billion in
\nAugust, comprising of $211.8 million in oil and gas imports and
\n$1.96 billion in non-oil and gas imports.<\/p>\n
Total imports for the January-August period of this year were
\nworth $17.92 billion, lower than the $28.33 billion recorded for
\nthe same period last year. (aly)<\/p>",
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