BALI`S EXPORTS DOWN 13 PCT

Denpasar, Indonesia, May 18 (ANTARA) - Bali's non-oil/non-gas exports in the first quarter of 2009 fell 13.35 percent to US$61.42 million from US$70.89 million in the same period last year.

The decline was the result of the global economic crisis affecting most of the markets for the province's exports, Head of the Bali Office of the Central Statistics Board (BPS) Ida Komang Wisnu said here on Monday.

He said handicraft goods served as the main foreign exchange earner in the January-March 2009 period.

Non-knitted clothes took the lead among the five key export commodities, contributing 25.52 percent of the total exports.

Fish and shrimp contributed 23.27 percent, jewelry/precious stone 23.10 percent, knitted goods 5.91 percent and footwear 5.38 percent to the total exports, he said.

Most of Bali's exports in the first quarter of 2009 went to Japan, the United States, Italy, Singapore and Australia.

He said exports to Singapore, the United States and Japan fell, while exports to Italy and Australia rose 15.64 percent and 13.76 percent respectively.***