Cairo (ANTARA News) - The Egyptian revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak last February did not hamper Indonesia`s non-oil/non-gas exports (to that country) and even rose by 63.8 percent, an Indonesian embassy official here said.

"In the January-March 2011 period, our exports to Egypt even increased by 63.8 percent compared with that in the same period a year earlier," Walther S. Kariodimedjo, acting trade attache at the Indonesian Embassy said on Monday.

Walther referred to the Indonesian Trade Ministry`s data which were compiled by the embassy`s trade section.

Based on the embassy`s trade section data, Indonesia`s exports to Egypt in the January - March 2011 period were recorded at 261.8 million US dollars, higher that that in the same period in the previous year which were 159.8 million, or an increase of 63.8 percent.

In the meantime, Indonesia`s imports from that country in the January - March 2011 period declined 26.3 percent to 44.9 million US dollars from 61 million dollars in the same period in 2010.

Indonesia`s imports from Egypt were dominated by among others phosphate, aluminum, cotton, fruit, carpet and textile.

The two-way trade values of the two countries in the January - March 2011 period were 307.7 million US dollars, or an increase of 38.8 percent from that in the same period last year which were 220.8 million US dollars.

Walther S. Kariodimedjo said that Indonesia`s main commodity in its exports of about 700 goods to Egypt was crude palm oil (CPO).

According to the Egyptian Central Bureau of Statistics (CAPMAS), Egypt`s CPO imports in the January - March period increased to 86.7 million US dollars compared that in the corresponding period i 2010 which were recorded at 70.5 million US dollars.

Walther said that Indonesia`s exports to Egypt since 2008 continued to increase from year to year and were in favor of Indonesia.

In 2010, the two countries` two way trade values totaled 1.07 billion US dollars, up 18.4 percent from 802.5 million US dollars in 2009.

CAMPMAS recorded that Indonesia had 50 main commodities exported to Egypt, which included CPO, rubber, car tires, papers, motor vehicle spareparts, computers, electric utensils, food stuff and drinks.
(Uu.A014/HAJM)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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