VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian  Central Statistics Agency recorded Indonesia's export value of US$21.42 billion in August 2021. This achievement is the highest record in Indonesia's history. Head of the Agency Margo Yuwono in a virtual press conference last Wednesday, September 15, explained that the positive export performance during the last month could not be separated from the increase in commodity prices in the global market. Price increases occurred in coal, palm oil (CPO), kernels, aluminum, tin, rubber and nickel. However, the highest increases in terms of prices and export volumes were CPO and coal. On a monthly basis, coal prices in August 2021 rose 11.04 percent compared to July 2021, as well as CPO prices which rose 6.85 percent.

Separately, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that the high rate of exports in August 2021 showed Indonesia's economic recovery, which was accompanied by an improvement in the level of Indonesian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). In a written statement, Thursday, September 16, Airlangga Hartarto revealed, Indonesia's Manufacturing PMI in August 2021 increased to 43.7 from the previous level of 40.1 in July 2021. Indonesia's PMI level is better than several countries in ASEAN, such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

This achievement, according to Airlangga, indicates that Indonesia's economic recovery will continue in line with the recovery in global demand. This is indicated by the continued increase in export volume and prices for Indonesia's mainstay commodities such as coal and CPO. For information, the realization of the export value in August 2021 increased by 20.95 percent compared to the export rate in July 2021. Meanwhile, non-oil and gas export destinations that experienced the largest increase compared to the previous month included China, India and Japan.