Jakarta – Indonesia reported a trade surplus of $2.9 billion for August, marking the 52nd consecutive month of surplus, up from the $2.04 billion surplus in July, the Central Statistics Agency announced on Tuesday.
The trade surplus streak, which began in May 2020, continued despite the August figure being $220 million lower than the same period last year.
Indonesia's exports for August totaled $23.56 billion, a 5.97 percent increase from July and a 7.13 percent rise compared to the same month last year.
In contrast, imports fell by 4.93 percent to $20.67 billion compared to the previous month, though they saw a year-on-year growth of 9.46 percent.
In terms of bilateral trade, Indonesia's largest surplus was with the United States, amounting to $1.7 billion, followed by India with $1.08 billion, and the Philippines with $847.3 million.
However, the country recorded its largest trade deficit with China, at $1.1 billion, along with a $549.7 million deficit with Australia and $312.8 million with Singapore.
For the eight months ending in August, Indonesia's cumulative trade surplus stood at $18.85 billion.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/business/indonesias-trade-surplus-extends-to-52nd-consecutive-mont