9.8m small businesses

JAKARTA (JP): A 1996 economic census conducted by the central bureau of statistics recently revealed that Indonesia had 16.4 million firms, of which about 60 percent or 9.8 million were very small businesses with an annual turnover of Rp 5 million (US$2,083).

The bureau chairman Sugito said in a speech read in Pontianak, West Kalimantan yesterday, that 5,453 of the 16.4 million firms had an annual turnover Rp 50 billion.

He said 9.4 million were trading companies, 2.8 million manufacturers, 1.9 million service firms and the rest were engaged in agriculture.

According to the census, which was conducted last December, 65.5 percent were in Java.

Sugito said the bureau was still working on the result of the second stage census on home industries. (bnt)