"The 2012 figure is down 6 percent from the previous year`s US$203.6 billion," Gita Wirjawan said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan has stated that Indonesia`s export revenues reached US$190 billion last year.

"The 2012 figure is down 6 percent from the previous year`s US$203.6 billion," he said at a press conference in Jakarta on Friday.

Up to November last year, Wirjawan noted, Indonesia`s export revenues reached US$174.8 billion, down 6.3 percent from the same period in 2011.

"For the month of November, export revenues reached US$16.4 billion, up 7.3 percent from the previous month`s figures. However, on a year-on-year basis, the revenues had decreased by 4.6 percent," he pointed out.

In the same month, the revenues from non-oil and gas exports reached US$13.7 billion, up 8.4 percent from October 2012 and 0.1 percent from November 2011, he explained.

Meanwhile, Indonesia earned US$2.7 billion in revenues from oil and gas exports, up 2.2 percent from October 2012 and down 23.1 percent from November 2011.

Wirjawan said the global economic slowdown was making it hard for Indonesia to increase its exports.

"Export volume has increased by 2.3 percent, but export value has decreased by 6.3 percent," he pointed out.

In 2011, Indonesia exceeded its export revenue target, which had been set at US$200 billion, Wirjawan noted.

That made Indonesia the top export revenue earner among other developing countries in 2011. Compared with the previous year, the revenues increased by 29.1 percent, he stated.

"Indonesia only took five years to double its export revenues, compared with China`s six years, Malaysia`s seven years, Singapore`s 10 years and Saudi Arabia`s 26 years," Wirjawan said.

The sharp rise in export revenues during the 2010-11 period, Wirjawan added, was due to an increase in non-oil and gas exports, which reached US$162 billion in 2011, up 24.8 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, oil and gas export revenues in 2011 reached US$41.6 billion, up 48.3 percent from 2010 figures.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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