Awards for top exporters

JAKARTA (JP): The government will give excellent non-oil and gas exporters Primaniyarta awards in September, an official said yesterday.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Trade Lily Rosyana said yesterday that the awards were part of the government's program to promote non-oil and gas exports.

She said the awards would be given to companies, cooperatives and state-owned companies that have had outstanding non-oil and gas export records over the past five years.

They should have no bad debts, be good taxpayers, care about the environment and abide by labor regulations.

Economist Suhadi Mangkusuwondo will head a team of businessmen, academics, government officials to judge the winners.

The categories will be producer exporter, non producer exporter, national exporter and provincial exporter.

The national exporter category will be broken down into the following sub-categories: small exporter (with exports between US$500,000 and $5 million), middle exporter (from $5 million to $15 million), middle-upper exporter ($15 million to $50 million) and big exporter (above $50 million).

Lily said 288 companies had received the awards since it was introduced in 1992. (jsk)