Through good handling and controlling of the pandemic, we have also succeeded in boosting the manufacturing industry's performance. It expanded faster, I repeat, faster than the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB)
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The increase in Indonesia’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) in September 2021 was supported by good handling and control of the pandemic, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has said.

Indonesia’s manufacturing PMI strengthened to 52.2 in September from 43.7 in August, 2021.

“Through good handling and controlling of the pandemic, we have also succeeded in boosting the manufacturing industry's performance. It expanded faster, I repeat, faster than the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB),” the minister, who is also Java-Bali public activity restrictions (PPKM) coordinator, noted during a virtual press conference on PPKM development here on Monday.

Related news: Jakarta to reopen tourism gradually: official

Indonesia’s PMI has also been recorded as one of the best among ASEAN countries, he pointed out.

“I repeat, Indonesia’s PMI becomes one of the best in ASEAN,” he stressed.

The well-controlled COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia has boosted consumption recovery quickly, according to Pandjaitan.

Based on the government’s survey, the spending value index in East Java, Jakarta, and Yogyakarta has nearly reached its pre-pandemic level, he remarked.

Related news: Bantul readies tourist villages in line with PPKM

Indonesia’s manufacturing PMI, which even crossed China's, has shown that the industry is expanding, he added.

According to official data, Indonesia's manufacturing PMI was higher than Asian countries, such as China (50) and Japan (51.5), and was also the highest among ASEAN countries, such as Singapore (52.1), Malaysia (48.1), Thailand (48.9), the Philippines (50.9), and Vietnam (40.2).

The rise in the index was driven by the easing of restrictions amid declining COVID-19 cases, which led the manufacturing industry to grow in September after experiencing a deep contraction of 40.1 in July this year, the minister noted.

Related news: Military chief awards Bali Governor for PPKM success

Related news: First-dose vaccination coverage rate decisive in PPKM level downgrade

Translator: Ade Junida, Juwita Trisna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021