All depends on the market demand and prices."Medan (ANTARA News) -The flows of goods via the Medan port of Belawan, South Sumatra, declined in the first two months of this year compared to the same period last year.
Unloading dropped 9.12 percent to 413,031 tons and loading down 43.69 percent to 21,961 tons in January, secretary of the North Sumatra branch of the Indonesian Federation of Exporters (GPEI) Sofyan Subang said here.
Based on GPEI data, unloading in January and February totaled only 902,024 tons down from 992,529 tons in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, loading dropped from 110,964 tons to 62,479 tons in the same period.
"The decline in the volume of goods loaded and unloaded at Belawan indicated a decrease in exports and imports," he said.
A GPEI member Sofyan Subang said exports and imports fell as the business sector has not fully recovered from the impact of the global malaise with weak demand and falling prices.
Secretary of the North Sumatra branch of the Indonesian Association of Businessmen (Apindo) Laksamana Adiyaksa expressed concern with the shrinking foreign trade.
"All depends on the market demand and prices," Laksamana said.
Based on data at the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), North Sumatras imports in the first two months of this year fell 4.84 percent to US$800.842 million and its exports shrank 6.45 percent to US$1.549 billion from US$1.656 billion in the same period last year.
(Uu.H-ASG/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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