Bali's Plaited Craft Exports Down To US$1.06 Million

Denpasar, Bali, March 28 (Antara) - The Indonesian tourist resort province of Bali earned US$1.06 million from its bamboo-based plaited product exports in 2013, down 49.08 percent from US$2.08 million in the previous year. The plaited product exports also dropped 52.35 percent in term of volume from 3.2 million units in 2012 to 1.44 units in 2013, Chief Spokesman of Bali`s Regional Government I Ketut Teneng, said here on Friday. He said that the conditions of the global market which had not yet fully recovered had caused the drop of Bali`s plaited craft exports. Despite unfavorable global market conditions, Bali`s handicraftsmen continued with their activities to produce bamboo-based products to meet domestic and foreign tourists` need for various souvenirs, Teneng said. In the mean time, Bali`s tuna exports also dropped 7.75 percent in value to US$76.80 million in 2013 from US$83.25 million in the previous year. "The export volume, however, rose 14.62 percent to 16,337 tons from 14,254 tons in 2012," I Ketut Teneng said on Tuesday last week. Ketut Teneng said frozen and fresh tuna fish dominated Bali`s exports of 11 types of maritime commodities. Tuna fish contributed 15.80 percent to Bali`s total export earning of US$486.06 million in 2013, he said. He said exports of fishery and maritime commodities were valued at US$114.8 million in 2013, down slightly from US$114.89 million in 2012. He said hundreds of fishing vessels unload their catches of tuna every day at Benoa port to be exported after the process of cleaning. The fish is exported mainly to Japan 41.04 percent, the United States 15.90 percent , Singapore 2.48 percent and Australia 8.93 percent, he said Smaller parts are also exported to other countries such as Britain, Hong Kong , Italy and Spain, France and the Netherlands.