BATAM'S 2008 EXPORTS ALMOST FIVE PCT UP

Batam, Apr 15 (ANTARA) - Batam's exports last year reached over US$6.361 billion, a rise of about 4.96 percent compared to that of 2007 which stood at US$6.061 billion, with Singapore as the main destination of 63 percent of the total exports.

The other four destinations are Japan with 5.8 percent,the United States 6.62 percent, Malaysian 4.32 percent, and China 3.46 percent, Chief of Batam Authority's marketing and public relations Rustam H Hutapea said here on Tuesday.
The Batam's exports last year consisted electric equipment and tools (25 percent), automotive spareparts (13.09 percent), steel (10.52 percent), audio-visual products (7.91 percent), and other manufactured goods (10.20 percent).
In the meantime, the 18 applications for new foreign investment projects in Batam for the January-March 2009 period had already been approved by the Capital Investment Coordinating Agency, was valued at US$16,649,493 and expansion projects US$6,259,344.
The Foreign investment projects came from Singapore, Britain, Australia, Malaysia, India, Luxemburg, Taiwan, Japan, China, the Netherlands and South Korea.