Weak Rupiah Momentum To Boost Exports; Minister

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel said the falling value of rupiah against the US dollar could be used as a good momentum to boost exports.

"Weak rupiah is a good momentum to boost export," Rachmat told reporters in his office on Tuesday.

He said the government is seeking to take advantage of the condition and that he had proposed incentives, which were already discussed at the office of the coordinating minister for economy. However, the government would study a long term strategy to boost export not on weak rupiah, he said.

"What we are doing is not only because of the weak rupiah although we should also make use of it . But in long term we will study and remove the bottlenecks such as what causes the cost being high," he said.

Meanwhile, head of the trade policy expansion and study agency at the trade ministry Tjahya Widayanti said the policy package being discussed by the government was more about reforming the countrys economic structure. She said currently the policy package was still in the form of a draft for a presidential regulation that still need further studies.

The government said it would issue four new regulations in a economic structural reform policy package including tax incentive, visa free facility , the use of bio-fuel, anti dumping import duty and state owned reinsurance company. (WDY)