Bali's Imports Reach US$136.91 Million

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - The value of Bali's imports in the second quarter of 2010 increased 242.34 percent to US$136.91 million from US$39.99 million in the same period a year earlier, a statistics official said.

"The imports in the second quarter also increased 207.35 percent from US$44.54 million compared with those in the first quarter of this year," Head of the Central Board of Statistics (BPS) for Bali office, Ida Komang Wisnu said here on Monday.

He said that most of the Bali imports were production goods which were expected to help improve Bali's people's welfare and economic growth.

According to Wisnu, the imports included ships, mechanic machines, electric appliances, jewelries, iron and steel-based products.

They were imported from Britain, Singapore, Belgium, Norway and China.

Ships and floating constructions accounted for 53 percent of the total imports followed by mechanic machines (13.29 ), electric appliances (7.96 percent), jewelries (6.02 percent) and optical wares (2.6 percent).

In the meantime, Bali's non-oil/non-gas exports in the first four months of 2010 were recorded at US$181 million, a 22 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Much of the foreign exchange earnings came from the small scale industry and handicraft industry, Head of the Export Section at the Bali Provincial Industry and Trade Office Putu Bagiada said.

The increase in the export value was inseparable from the global economy which gradually recovered from crisis, he said.

Because of the global economic downturn, Bali's non-oil/non-gas exports fell by up to 9.2 percent to US$502 million in 2009 from US$553.8 million a year earlier, he said.

The US was the biggest market for Bali's handicraft goods, fishery and agricultural products with a value of US$30.5 million in the first four months of 2010, he said.

Japan came in second with US$28.3 million, followed by France US$17.9 million, and Italy US$13.3 million, he said.

"Most of Italian bought antique goods produced by Balinese handicraftsmen," he said.(*)