Jakarta – The Indonesian export volume to neighboring East Timor increased from around 20 million US dollars in 2000 to more than 33 million US dollars in 2001, an official said Thursday.

Posh Hutabarat of the Indonesian Ministry of Industry and Trade said that Indonesia has three major export gates to East Timor located in Kupang, capital of the East Nusa Tenggara province, Surabaya of the East Java province and Makassar of the South Sulawesi province.

He expected that East Timor would become an important trading partner in the future. Indonesia's main export goods are basic commodities and agricultural machinery, the Antara News Agency reported.

Both countries are expected to ratify the bill on bilateral trade that prohibits traffics of oil fuel, weapons, illegal drugs, yellow sandalwood, military uniforms, communication tools and gold.