C. Sulawesi exports shrimp

JAKARTA (JP): Central Sulawesi exported 479 tons of frozen shrimp worth US$4.25 million to France in the first semester of 1999, a local official said.

"Compared to the same period in 1998, there was a significant decrease in terms of volume and revenue," the head of the Central Sulawesi office for the ministry of trade and industry, Abdul Razak, told Antara in Palu on Thursday.

He added that the decrease in export revenues from shrimp was also partly due to the strengthening of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar.

Shrimp prices in the domestic market fell to Rp 100,000 per kilogram early this year to an average of Rp 60,000 per kilogram this month due to the rise in the rupiah to the U.S. dollar.

The rupiah, which was above Rp 8,000 per dollar early this year, strengthened to between Rp 7,000 and Rp 7,500 in the last two months.

He hoped shrimp prices in the international market would improve to encourage local farmers to boost their shrimp production.

Shrimp is one of the province's major export commodities in addition to cocoa, rattan and timber. (06)