After three consecutive months since December 2017 experiencing a deficit, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said Indonesia's trade balance in March 2018 experienced a surplus of 1.09 billion US dollars (US). It is because Indonesian exports in March 2018 reached 15.58 billion US dollars or grew by 6.04 percent compared to March 2017 year on year. Meanwhile, Indonesia's import value in March 2018 reached 14.49 billion US dollars, up 2.14 year on year. Head of the Central Bureau of Statistics, KecukSuhariyanto, in his press conference in Jakarta on Monday (16/4) said that the non-oil and gas mining sector and the manufacturing industry contributed substantially to the surplus in March 2018.

“If we see according to its contribution which contributed significantly to the processing industry and mining, for the mining, there are three products experience grow; coal 24.17 percent, copper seeds 36.76 percent, another is lignite of the mining. Processing industry also grows 9.17 percents, moreover the contribution of industry is 71 percent. Export of processing industry which experience high increase from month to month are steel, copper, garment or convection, and another is pulp,” said Kecuk Suhariyanto.

Kecuk Suhariyanto added that Indonesia's three largest export destinations in March 2018 were China totaled 2.36 billion US dollars, followed by US $ 1.59 billion, and last Japan 1.43 billion US dollars. Total of contribution of those countries reached 37.78 percent of the total export of Indonesia. Meanwhile, for export to European Union with the total of 28 countries, Indonesia succeeded in recording worth 1.53 billion US dollars in the same month. For the next future, it is hoped that Indonesian export to non-traditional countries will be increasing so that it influences on economic growth. (VOI/REZHA/trans-yati/DP)