From: Antara News
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Finance Minister Sir Mulynai Indrawati said there were indications that the trade sector, particularly exports, would recover along with the general economic recovery this year.

"The latest figures show indications of recovery in the export sector," the minister said at a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives at the parliament building here on Tuesday.

She said that according to Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), data in 2009 the negative condition of the economy was not too bad so that in 2010 when economic recovery is to begun, the export sector was expected to contribute to the economy in a positive way.

"Recovery in 2010 is expected to provide a positive contribution," the minister said.

She said that products which were expected to become Indonesia`s primary export commodities were raw materials, crude palm oil (CPO) and coal.

"We have the opportunity in the natural resource-based commodities. It is the very opportunity that we are conducting a research in detail. Like it or not, the zero percent tariff is our export opportunity," he said.

However, the minister said, the recovery in the export sector would not have relations with imports because the importation of manufacture good components was still high in Indonesia.

"The high export and import will reinforce the balance of payment and will lay the foundation of future economic stability, after all, the dependence of other countries on our raw materials would be much decided by prices in the market," she said.

In the meantime, Head of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Rusman Heriawan said that the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) would provide opportunities for Indonesia`s economy, particularly natural resources` exports.

He cited as an example CPO export to China where Indonesia, with the free trade agreement, would be able to export the commodity without tariff barriers so that the chance to export CPO to China would be higher.(*)

---