Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia's trade balance in July 2021 has recorded a surplus of 2.59 billion U.S. dollars, with a total export value of 17.70 billion dollars and imports of 15.11 billion dollars.

The surplus trend was recorded for 15 consecutive months, indicating that the national economy is getting better, Head of the Central Agency of Statistics Margo Yuwono told a virtual press conference here, Wednesday (Aug. 18).

Based on commodities, the largest contributors to the surplus in July 2021 were animal or vegetable fats and oils, followed by mineral fuels, as well as iron and steel.

According to Margo, from the 15-month trend, the highest surplus was recorded in October 2020 with a value of 3.58 billion dollars. Meanwhile, data in 2021 showed the highest surplus occurred in May 2021 of 2.70 billion dollars.

In addition, Indonesia's trade with a number of countries also experienced a surplus, including the United States with a value of 1.27 billion dollars, the Philippines (533 million dollars), and Malaysia (397.5 million dollars).

However, Indonesia experienced trade deficit with several countries, including China (844.5 million dollars), Australia (448.1 million dollars), and Thailand (271.1 million dollars).

Overall, Indonesia's trade balance in January-July 2021 experienced a surplus of 14.42 billion dollars.

Reporting by Indonesia Window