Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Trade Ministry has projected a 7 percent - 8.5 percent increase in the country`s non-oil/non-gas exports this year after they reached a total value of US$97.5 billion last year.
"We are optimistic non-oil/non-gas exports in 2010 will meet the targeted increase of 7 percent - 8.5 percent set in the medium-term national development plan," Deputy Trade Minister Mahendra said here on Tuesday.
The target was based on the improved conditions of the global economy and positive sentiment that will boost demand for commodities, he said.
He said oil and gas exports would gradually decline and non-oil/non-gas exports would overtake oil and gas exports as the country`s main foreign exchange earner.
"Non-oil/non-gas exports will dominate our exports. That is what we are going to achieve," he said.
Mahendra said since the fourth quarter of 2009 non-oil/non-gas exports had been showing an upward trend.
Indonesia`s non-oil/non-gas exports in 2009 reached US$97.5 billion, a 9.7 percent decline compared to a year earlier, he said.
The 2009 export performance was better than the government`s forecast of minus 10-15 percent, he said.
The lower-than-expected drop in last year`s non-oil/non-gas exports was the result of developed and developing nations` monetary policies and fiscal stimuli to encourage the global economy to recover earlier than expected, he said.
In addition, Indonesia`s program to diversify its export market to cover China and India also has helped improve its export performance, he said.
In the past five years Indonesia`s main export markets had shifted from developed nations to China and India, he said.
Indonesia`s non-oil/non-gas exports to China last year reached US$8.9 billion, a 14.4 percent increase compared to the year before.
Meanwhile, Indonesia`s exports to South Korea and India last year rose 10.9 percent and 4.1 percent respectively to US$5.2 billion and US$7.4 billion.(*)
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