Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said Indonesia`s non-oil/gas exports this year will equal the 2008 performance of 107.8 billion US dollars.

“Under the Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMB), the 2010 export growth has been projected at 7-8.5 percent compared to 2009. If this became a reality, the value will be slightly less than the 2008 achievement, but judging from the January export trend, it may be higher and restore its 2008 performance,” Mari said on the sidelines of a trade ministry working meeting in Jakarta Thursday.

She also said that the January 2010 non-oil/gas export trend had been growing extraordinarily reaching 47.6 percent compared to January 2009. “The January exports were not only higher than last year`s, but also higher than in 2008. This year the 2008 target may be restored and the January trend is already showing bright prospects,” she said.

She added that the exports had already been restored following the economic crisis in the fourth quarter of 2009 to January 2010.

In the meantime, deputy trade minister Mahendra Siregar said a significant increase in the exports took place to the non-traditional countries like China, India, Korea, Malaysia and some other ASEAN member countries.

“Five to seven years ago, the share to the non-traditional countries reached only 50 percent, but now higher than that because the export products mostly consisted of the routine and daily needs of those countries, so that during the crisis demands did not decline.

“Another factor is that we have Free Trade Agreements with those countries,” he added.

Indonesia`s exports in the 2005-2009 period had been growing significantly by an average of 9.66 percent, with the value increased from the 2005 level of 85.7 billion dollars to 116.5 billion dollars in 2009.

The increase was also thanks to the increase in non-oil/gas exports from 66.4 billion dollars in 2005 to 97.5 billion dollars with an average growth of 11.31 percent per year.

In January 2010 the exports increased by 58.99 percent compared to January 2009 exports from 7.3 billion dollars to 11.6 billion dollars. The non-oil/gas exports in January 2010 reached 9.2 billion dollars, up by 47.61 percent compared to that in January 2009 with 6.2 billion dollars.

Source : Antara