Bali's Handicrafts Earn Us$220 Million Foreign Exchange In 2014

Denpasar, Bali, Feb 6 (Antara) - Bali's Industry and Trading Office revealed that the province earned US$220 million foreign exchange from the exports of handicrafts created by Balinese artists during 2014, a businessperson from Ubud, Bali, Nyoman Sudiana, stated here, Friday. "This amount increased by 10 percent as compared to US$200 million recorded during the same period in 2013," Sudiana noted. According to him, Balinese handicrafts have specific markets as they are unique, and the craftsmanship used to create these products cannot be compared to the process used in making technology-based products. "This is the reason why Balinese handicrafts are being sold in about hundreds of countries in the world although the world economy is still not conducive," Sudiana noted. He pointed out that locally made jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, and bracelets are in high demand among customers. The United States is one of the biggest customers and has imported handicrafts worth US$114 million, or about 21.30 percent of the total foreign exchange earned by Bali province, which was recorded at US$536 million. Bali's non-oil and gas foreign exchange in 2014 reached US$536 million, or increased by 1.4 percent as compared to US$528 million recorded in the same period in 2013.