C. Sulawesi exports shrimp

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)