Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan predicted the country`s trade deficit would rise to US$5 billion in the whole of the year.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan blamed fast growing oil requirement and imports for the country`s trade deficit.
"Imports of oil have continued to climb," Gita said here on Friday.
He said deficit in oil and gas trade balance still the largest contributor to the country`s trade deficit of US$3.3 billion in the first half of 2013.
He predicted the country`s trade deficit would rise to US$5 billion in the whole of the year.
Meanwhile, a chairman of the Indonesian chamber of commerce and industry Didik J. Rachbini blamed the deficit on economic policy of being far from satisfactory.
Didik said the country has four types of deficit including current account deficit, trade deficit, balance of payment deficit and primary deficit of the state budget, that would be an economic legacy for the next president.
Indonesia will elect its new president next year.
Earlier, Chief Economics Minister Hatta Rajasa said the country`s growing current account deficit was caused by oil price fall.
Surplus could be maintained in the trade of commodities other than oil and gas, but deficit is high in the service sector as well as in oil and gas sector, Hatta said.
He said the prices of a number of the country`s main export commodities such as crude palm oil , coal and rubber had also declined.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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