JAKARTA: Indonesia's imports in April reached US$14.98 billion, its record high, as China and Japan being among the largest countries where the goods were originated from, Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said.Imports in April were 32,54% higher than that in the same period in 2010, the statistics agency said. Compared to March, the preceding month, April imports booked a 2.8% increase, said Djamal, BPS deputy head in charge of service and distribution statistics.Oil and gas imports grew 35.8% in April, compared to March, while non oil and gas imports declined by 5.25%.Aprils imports, reaching US$14.89 billion, was the highest import value ever recorded by BPS, he said yesterday.Imports in the January-April period amounted to US$53.69 billion, soaring by 30.32% compared to the same period in 2010. In the meantime, non oil and gas imports for the calendar year reached US$41.4 billion, Djamal added. The largest import market share was China (US$7.47 billion), tailed by Japan (US$5.75 billion) and Thailand (US$3.49 billion).Djamal also said that during the January-April period, the imports of capital goods slumped by 17.16% compared to the same period in 2010. In the meantime, the import of raw material and consumer goods surged by 74.86% and 7.98% respectively.Mirroring the import growth, Indonesia's exports rose 37,28% to US$16.52 billion in April, according to BPS. In March, exports were recorded at US$16.3 billion, or a 0.96% increase.Oil and gas exports in April were US$3.59 billion while non oil and gas exports reached US$12.93 billion. Oil and gas exports rose by 0.96% compared to March while non oil and gas declined by 2.82%, according to Djamal.In the January-April period, oil and gas exports reached US$61.91 billion, or a 30.14% increase compared to the year earlier period. Non oil and gas exports in the first four months this year reached US$50.03 billion.Indonesia's largest export markets in April are Japan, with a total value of US$5.83 billion, followed by the US at US5.24 billion, China US$5.2 billion, and other countries.Djamal said the largest non oil and gas export market share in April was Japan with US$5.83 billion in value, tailed by US totalling US$5.24 billion, China US$5.20 billion and other countries.Non oil and gas exports to Asean were recorded at US$11.12 billion or 22.24% of total, while exports to 27 member countries of European Union reached US$6.66 billion, he said.Trade balance surplusWith such performance, BPS reported a declining surplus in Indonesia's trade balance, from US$1.8 billion in March this year to US$1.63 billion in April 2011. Indonesia still recorded a surplus. But from time to time, the surplus continued to decline.Djamal added that Indonesia had a trade deficit with China, reaching US$602 million as per April, which was the largest among other countries. Thailand (US$553 million) and Australia (US$166 million) followed in the rank.Rupiah appreciation that is likely to continue until the end of this year may further boost Indonesias imports, said an economist at Standard Chartered Fauzi Ichsan.He estimates that by the end of the year, rupiah may climb to IDR8,300, propelled by the relatively low USs interest rate.The continued strengthening of rupiah and the continued weakening of dollar against many global currencies will further boost Indonesia's imports, Fauzi said. (10/Sepudin Zuhri/Maria Y Benyamin) (t02/msw)

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