Indonesian exports show recovery

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta-based consultancy firm PT TradeData announced on Friday some early, albeit tentative evidence of a recovery in Indonesian exports for the first time since the onset of the crisis.

TradeData said in its latest report that Indonesia's exports in May were only 4.4 percent below the trend established before the crisis.

It said the increase in a large range of commodities principally exported in small quantities, such as textiles, forestry products, electronics and agribusiness had driven the relatively strong export performance in that month.

The report, however, said that Indonesian exports to other troubled Asian countries, namely Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines, were 26.6 percent below the pre-crisis trend.

This situation was due in a large part to a significant fall in exports of petroleum products, copper ores and concentrates, plywood, processed woods and other wood products as well as tobacco and rubber products.

The report also revealed a fundamental change in structure of Indonesian exports. Exports to Japan have fallen dramatically, and are now around 50 percent below the pre-crisis trend.

However, exports to Singapore and Hong Kong have risen dramatically in the past few months to offset this fall. The rise in exports to these countries is moving away from traditionally large exporters such as the oil and gas industry, copper and plywood in favor of small shipments of a wide range of items, particularly textiles, wooden products, electronics and agribusiness.

The report also said that Indonesian exports to North America, Europe and Australia are showing an upward trend. (gis)