RI Trade Balance Sustains US$516.1 Mln Deficit

Jakarta, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - The Central Board of Statistics (BPS) has recorded that Indonesia`s trade balance in the January-October 2012 suffered a deficit of US$516.1 million if compared with imports in the same period. "The US$516.1 million is the balance between Indonesia`s exports in the January - October 2012 period worth US$158.66 billion and its imports of US$158.18 billion in the same period," BPS Deputy Head for Social and Service Distribution Affairs Sasmita Hadi Wibowo said here on Monday. He said that in October 2012, Indonesia`s imports increased significantly. The BPS has recorded that Indonesia`s imports in October 2012 stood at US$17.21 billion, up 10.82 percent year on year from the previous month which stood at US$15.53 billion. The October imports consisted of non oil and gas commodities worth US$13.38 billion and oil and gas valued at US$3.84 billion, he said. In the meantime, the BPS has also recorded that Indonesia`s exports last October reached US$15.67 billion, down by 1.45 percent month on month compared with total exports in the previous month of September which stood at US$15.9 billion. Sasmita Hadi Wibowo said that total exports in October consisted of non oil and gas amounting to US$12.68 billion and oil and gas exports worth US$2.99 billion.