RI'S TEXTILE TRADE REACHES SURPLUS

Semarang, Feb 10 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's textile and garment trade balance in 2009 had been a surplus of 5.1 billion US dollars, a 1.10 pct increase compared to the equally surplus of 5 billion US dollars in 2008.

"Indonesia's textile and garments are still leading national non oil export commodities although competition on the international market is very tight," Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said here, Wednesday.

Mari had been making an inspection of a number of companies in Semarang like PT Sido Muncul jamu maker, and textile and garment producer PT APAC Inti Corpora.

She said Indonesia's textile and garment exports had its ups and downs in the past few years due to a decline in demand for the products on the world market.

In the meantime, a number of other ASEAN member countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are currently also rapidly growing as potential competitors to Indonesia's textile and garments on the international market.

The main destinations of Indonesia's textile and garment exports in 2008 were the US with 3.8 billion dollars, or a share of 37.42 pct, then came the European Union with 2.0 billion dollars or 19.96 pct of Indonesia's total textile and garment exports.

The other destinations are Japan with 5.39 pct, South Korea 2.82 pct, United Arab Emirates 3.59 pct, Turkey 3.22 pct, Saudi Arabia 1.68 pct, China 1.73 pct, and Canada 1.41 pct.