Textile exports rise in first quarter of '98
Textile exports rise in first quarter of '98
JAKARTA (JP): Exports of textile and textile-related products
jumped 50.8 percent to US$2.46 billion in the first three months
of this year from $1.63 billion in the same period last year,
according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Director of Exports Sudar S.A. said garment exports accounted
for $559.23 million, with $324.42 million coming from woven
products and $964.47 million from other textile products
The total volume of the exported textile products was 887.27
million square meters, up 15.3 percent from 769.51 million square
meters.
The European Union was the largest buyer with 531.89 million
square meters, followed by the United States with 345.86 million
square meters, Canada with 9.46 million square meters and Norway
with 59,560 square meters.
Sudar said the value of Indonesia's exports of textile and
textile products to countries which imposed quotas in the first
semester of this year reached $1.51 billion, up 9.19 percent from
$1.39 billion last year.
Countries imposing import quotas which bought products from
Indonesia during the period are the United States, with import
values reaching $820.75 million, followed by the European Union,
$656.38 million; Canada, $32.84 million; and Norway, $533,880.
Meanwhile garment producers in Bali have said they will run
out of raw materials in the next two months, even though
purchasing orders are continued to flow in.
Antara reported several garment producers in Bali are
currently having to refuse orders from importers because of
difficulties getting materials in sufficient amounts, especially
cotton and rayon fabrics.
The shortage of materials was prompted by the closing down of
many textile factories in Java since the monetary crisis struck
last July because they could no longer afford to import the raw
materials in the wake of the rupiah's depreciation.
The head of the provincial office of the ministry of industry
and trade in Bali, I Ketut Gede Mendra, said many foreign buyers
now supplied their own materials such as Japanese silk to the
garment producers in the area to be made into clothes due to the
scarcity of the raw materials in the province.
"If this situation continues, we will turn into mere tailors
and only get service fees," Mendra said.
Export volumes of garments from Bali rose to 15.8 million
pieces year-on-year in the January to May period this year from
10.9 million in 1997, while the export value dropped to $66.8
million from $73.8 million in the same period last year. (das)