[Kabar-indonesia] Indonesia May Exports $8.34 Bln Vs $7.60B In April [+May trade surplus 3.28 bln]

[Joyo at aol.com]

also: Indonesia's May trade surplus 3.28 bln usd vs
2.85 bln in April

Indonesia May Exports $8.34 Bln Vs $7.60B In April

JAKARTA, July 3 (Dow Jones)--Indonesia's trade surplus
rose to $3.28 billion in May from $2.85 billion in
April, and from $2.25 billion a year before due to
surging exports, the Central Statistics Agency said
Monday.

The agency said exports rose to a record high of $8.34
billion in May, up from $7.06 billion in April.

The May trade surplus beat market expectations for a
$2.93 billion surplus.

Corrected July 3, 2006 04:47 ET (08:47 GMT) [ 03-07-06
0714GMT ]

Indonesia's trade surplus rose in May due to higher
exports.

The headline, "DATA SNAP:Indonesia June Trade Surplus
Up As Exports Rise," published at 0714 GMT misstated
the month. [ 03-07-06 0845GMT ]

The agency said exports reached $38.39 billion during
the first five months of the year, up 13.4% from the
same period a year before.

"Looking at the May exports, I'm optimistic that this
year exports may get close to $100 billion," said
Rusman Heriawan, the head of the statistics agency.

Total exports last year reached $85.66 billion.

While exports rose nearly 10% on month in May, imports
rose a milder 6.5% on month in May to $5.06 billion,
the agency said.

January-May imports declined 2.12% to $23.14 billion
from a year earlier, as imports of raw materials and
semifinished goods used to produce export commodities
fell 5.24% on year, it added.

Indonesia, the only Southeast Asian member of the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, was
again a net crude oil importer in terms of value in
May. Crude export value fell to $628 million in May
from $637.2 million in April. Meanwhile, crude import
value rose to $758.3 million in May from $696.5
million a month earlier.

Indonesia's total oil trade deficit, including
petroleum products, widened to $838.2 million in May
from $562.8 billion in April, the agency's data
showed. Indonesia has been a net oil importer over the
past several years due to declining crude oil
production and rising fuel consumption.

Natural gas exports amounted at $993.9 million in May,
up from $819.6 million in April.

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Indonesia's May trade surplus 3.28 bln usd vs 2.85 bln
in April

JAKARTA, July 3 (XFN-ASIA) - The country's trade
surplus surged to 3.28 bln usd in May from 2.85 bln in
April and from 2.22 bln a year earlier on the back of
strong export growth, newly-appointed head of the
Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Rusman Heriawan
said.

He said exports amounted to 8.34 bln usd in May
compared to 7.6 bln in April and to 7.19 bln in the
previous year, while imports reached 5.06 bln usd, up
from 4.75 bln in April and from 4.96 bln in the same
month last year.

"Exports have continued to grow and have reached 38.39
bln usd in the first five months. If everything is
running well, I expect full-year exports to be closer
to 100 bln usd, which is a good benchmark," he told a
press briefing.

Analysts polled by XFN-Asia had expected the trade
surplus to come in within a range of 2.7-3.5 bln usd,
with exports seen growing by 5.8-22.0 pct year-on-year
and imports declining by 0.34 pct-8.0 pct.

Heriawan said May exports were up 9.79 pct from the
previous month, and were up nearly 16 pct
year-on-year.

Meanwhile, imports in May grew 6.49 pct from April and
were up 2.1 pct from the previous year, contrary to
the consensus forecast of declining imports.

He said non-oil and gas exports in May amounted to
6.55 bln usd, up 10.52 pct from April. In the first
five months, the non-oil and gas exports reached 29.78
bln usd, up 12.22 pct year-on-year.

Non-oil and gas exports to the US, Indonesia's largest
trading partner, amounted to 910.1 mln usd in May.
Japan came in second, accounting for 886.0 mln usd of
exports and Singapore third, with 695.1 mln. Exports
to the three countries made up 38.02 pct of
Indonesia's total exports for the month.

Meanwhile, exports to 25 countries in the European
Union amounted to 904. 7 mln usd.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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