Indonesian textile export to rise by 4% in 2013

The value of Indonesia textile shipment overseas is expected to rise by 3 to 4 percent to 13 billion U.S. dollars this year despite the weakening global economy, the textile association said here Friday. By August, the cumulative value of Indonesian textile export reached 8.6 billion U.S. dollars, 1.7 percent higher than a year ago, said Ade Sudrajat, chairman of Indonesian Textile Association. For next year, the association forecast textile export would rise to 13.5 to 14 billion U.S. dollars, said Sudrajat. The United States and Europe are the main destination of Indonesia textile export. The association thus suggested the government set up free trades with the countries. "I am optimistic that our exports to the United States and Europe will increase by triple should we have free trades with them,"Sudrajat said at an international expo in Jakarta. As the region strives to build the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015, the chairman said that Indonesia's textile sector had to prepare for the competition. "We must step up the competitiveness of our products,"he said. Indonesia's trade balance registered 132.4 million U.S. dollars surplus in August with 13.16 billion U.S. dollars in export and 13.05 billion U.S. dollars in import, the national statistic bureau has said. Indonesian export accounts for about 26 percent of the country' s gross domestic products.