RI's Imports Up 18 Pct In September

Jakarta, Nov 1 (Antara) - Indonesia`s imports rose 18.86 percent to US$15.47 billion in September 2013 from US$13.01 billion a month earlier, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). "The September 2013 imports consisted of oil and gas imports worth US$1.39 billion and non-oil/non-gas imports worth US$11.79 billion," BPS Chief Suryamin said here on Friday. He attributed the rise in imports to a 26.30 percent surge in non-oil/non-gas imports to US$11.8 billion from US$9.3 billion. However, oil and gas imports fell slightly by 0.06 percent to US$3.66 billion from US$3.67 billion. Machines and mechanical appliances dominated the non-oil/non-gas imports, with US$2.37 billion, followed by machines and electrical appliances, with US$1.56 billion, and iron and steel, with US$730 million. "The increase in the import of machines and appliances suggests that investment in this country remains high," he stated. The non-oil/non-gas imports in September 2013 mostly came from ASEAN member states, with a value of US$2.61 billion, or 22.09 percent of the overall non-oil/non-gas imports, followed by the European Union, with US$1.06 billion, or 8.96 percent. The non-oil/non-gas imports mostly came from China, with US$2.76 billion; Japan, with US$1.51 billion; and Singapore, with US$884.4 million.