France Begins Reducing Imports From Bali

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - French consumers have started reducing Bali's handicraft and other non-oil/gas commodity purchases as an impact of the economic recession in that country.

France is known as the biggest Balinese handicraft buyers from Eurupe but has been reducing to 30.5 pct,  head of the Bali industrial and trade export agency Putu Bagiada said here on Wednesday.

Bali's exports to France have nor reached only 27.3 million US dollars in the January-October 2011 period, compared to last year's 39.7 million dollars of the last year.

This region's foreign trade to France had been declining, although the Indonesian government has been increasing the number of flights to Europe to encourage more French tourists to the island paradise.

France was the third biggest buyer of Bali's non-oil/gas commodities last year, but the position had been taken over by Australia while the highest was still the US and Japan in fourth rank.

As many Europeans have been visiting Bali, it has a positive effect on Bali's foreign trade to that part of the world, especially with regard to handicraft goods and farm commodities.(*)