Inflation up 1.32 percent in January: BPS

JAKARTA (JP): Inflation in January increased by 1.32 percent compared to the previous month due, in particular, to higher food prices and other basic necessities, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).

The bureau's chief Sugito Suwito said on Monday year-on-year inflation was 0.35 percent.

"The New Year celebrations and the Muslim Idul Fitri holiday in January had a significant impact on the increase in prices," Sugito said at a media conference.

He also said rises in public transport fares during the month, when millions of city dwellers returned to their hometowns to celebrate the Muslim holiday, had contributed to January's inflation figure.

The central bank have forecast this year's inflation to be in the range of 3 percent to 5 percent. But if import tariffs on rice and sugar are implemented, and government plans to increase fuel prices, electricity tariffs and government employees salaries are taken into account, the inflation level could reach 7 percent.

The bureau reported that the largest contributors to January's inflation level were food commodities, processed food, beverages, cigarettes and tobacco, housing and clothing.

It said the food index had increased by 2.93 percent in January, with the higher prices of red chili, chicken, fish, eggs and vegetables contributing in particular.

The bureau said the price of rice had only increased slightly during the month.

It said the processed food, beverages, cigarettes and tobacco index had increased by 0.36 percent.

The bureau added that the housing index had increased by 0.47 percent, clothing by 1.83 percent, spending on health 0.23 percent, and transportation and communications by 0.86 percent.

But the cost of education, recreation and sports had declined slightly by 0.01 percent.

Exports

BPS also reported that the total export value in December 1999 had slightly declined by 0.53 percent to US$4.37 billion compared to the level in November, particularly due to a drop in the exports of non-oil and gas products.

"Although the economy has slightly improved, export performances have not yet shown a significant development," Sugito said.

"One of the factors is the still relatively weak import of raw materials and capital goods," he said, pointing out that the country's non-oil and gas export industry relies heavily on imported raw materials.

The bureau said monthly non-oil and gas exports had fallen by 4.70 percent to $3.25 billion in December.

It said export value in the full-year 1999 was $48.49 billion or a 0.73 percent decline from $48.84 billion in 1998.

The bureau said the lower export value was due to lower non- oil and gas exports, which dropped by 5.48 percent to $38.73 billion compared to $40.97 billion in the previous year.

The bureau said oil and gas exports during the year had risen by 24 percent to $9.76 billion on the back of rising oil prices in the international market from around $12.47 per barrel in 1998 to an average of $17.52 last year.

It said import values in December reached $2.08 billion, a slight increase compared to $2.05 billion in November.

But imports in the January 1999-December 1999 period fell by 12.51 percent to $23.92 billion compared to the same period in the previous year, the bureau said.

The bureau said imports of consumption goods during the January 1999-November 1999 period had jumped by 44.21 percent to $2.40 billion compared to the same period last year.

It added that imports of raw materials during the period had fallen by 5.32 percent, while imports of capital goods had dropped by 52.96 percent.

It reported that tourist arrivals in December had declined by 2.66 percent to 326,384 tourists, compared to November.

But tourist arrivals in 1999 had risen by 4.13 percent to 3,920, despite domestic social and political unrest during the period.(rei)