66 companies awarded for non-oil exports

66 companies awarded for non-oil exports

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto presented yesterday awards to
66 of the country's big and small companies for their outstanding
achievement in non-oil exports.

In presenting the awards, the President praised the award
recipients and called on other companies to do the same.

He underlined the importance of non-oil exports as a foreign
exchange earner to the country,

"We can earn foreign exchange through loan arrangements. But
it is risky, especially during a monetary crisis such as now,"
Soeharto said.

"Non-oil exports are the most reliable foreign exchange
earner. It can also stimulate the development of industry. The
higher our non-oil exports, the greater chance industry has to
develop," he said.

Minister of Industry and Trade Tunky Ariwibowo said the award,
called Primaniyarta, has been presented to the country's
exporters annually since 1992 as part of the government's effort
to promote non-oil exports.

According to Central Bureau of Statistics data, non-oil
exports increased 8.98 percent to US$38.09 billion last year,
accounting for 77 percent of the total exports of $49.8 billion
that year.

Tunky said the recipients of the Primaniyarta awards this year
included small and big exporters which could export non-oil
commodities valued at between $500,000 and $50 million annually
over the past five years.

He said aside from the export value, the 66 exporters were
also selected on the basis of their performance in paying tax,
their environmental awareness and their efforts to diversify
their products and markets.

Tunky said 42 of the 66 Primaniyarta recipients were based in
the provinces and were selected by a team of judges chaired by
each province's governor.

"There were no recipients from the province of East Timor this
year because no exporters in the province qualified for the
awards," said Tunky.

The Primaniyarta recipients include PT Busana Perkasa Garments
in Jakarta, PT Branta Mulia in Jakarta, PT Indorama Synthetics in
Jakarta, PT Indorayon Utama in Medan, North Sumatra, PT Salim Oil
Grains in Jakarta, PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur in Bontang, East
Kalimantan, PT Aneka Tambang in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, PT
Sumi Asih Oleochemical in Jakarta, PT Doson Indonesia in Jakarta,
PT Pacific Express in Denpasar, Bali, PT Astra Daihatsu Motor in
Jakarta, PT Tonerindo Mitrajaya in Jakarta, PT Sribusana Lumintu
in Jakarta and PT Eka Delta Mas in Batam. (jsk/prb)