Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Australia was the biggest market for Bali`s garment exports in July, buying 15.28 percent of the province`s overall garment exports in that month.

The United States came in second with a value of 14.29 percent of the total garment exports, Head of the Export Section at the Bali Provincial Industry and Trade Office Putu Bagiada said here on Saturday.

Besides the two countries, France and Britain were also listed as the main buyers of Balinese garments, he said without elaborating on the value of their garment imports from Bali.

Garments remained one of Bali`s key non-oil/non-gas export commodities in the eight months through August, contributing US$88.7 million to the province`s foreign exchange coffers. The figure represented 25.7 percent of the non-oil/non-gas exports reaching US$345.3 million in the first eight months of 2011.

Compared to the same period last year, Bali`s garment exports in the January-August 2011 period grew 7.14 percent, he said.

Australia was also listed as the biggest market for Balinese household utensils and art goods respectively accounting for 15.6 percent and 15.4 percent of the overall non-oil/non-gas exports, Bagiada said.

He said Balinese garments were in great demand in Australia due to the fact that Australia had so far been the biggest source of Bali`s foreign tourist arrivals.

Data show a total of 585,693 Australians visited Bali in the January-September 2011 period, a 24.99 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Overall, Bali`s non-oil/non-gas exports to Australia in the year to August reached U$20.7 million, up 5.6 percent from the same period last year.
(S012)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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