Indonesia Reports Export Surge to Switzerland Amid Pandemic

By Office of Assistant to Deputy Cabinet Secretary for State Documents & Translation     Date 15 Juli 2020
Category: News
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Data on Indonesia’s exports to Switzerland. (Source: Indonesian Embassy in Bern/MoFA)

Indonesia’s exports to Switzerland have seen a sharp rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesian Embassy in the Switzerland capital of Bern has reported.

During the course of January – May this year, Indonesia’s exports rose by 284% compared to that of the same period last year.

Data from the Swiss Federal Customs Administration shows that the biggest rise occurred in April and May by 670% and by 404% respectively compared to that of the same period last year.

Coffee and essential oils are among top Indonesian products that recorded a significant rise.

The largest increase in Indonesia’s exports to Switzerland occurred in March with the exported commodities including knitted textile products, coffee, spare parts, furniture, essential oils, and organic chemicals.

However, compared to the same period last year, Indonesia’s exports to Switzerland seeing a rising trend include precious metals, footwear, coffee, furniture, machine parts, and essential oils.

Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland Muliaman Hadad reported that a rise in exports of Indonesia’s flagship products is the result of various collaborative efforts and intensive promotion of the country’s products in this European country.

Coffee and essential oils, he continued, are Indonesia’s flagship products in exports to Switzerland other than gold. According to him, the rise in Indonesia’s exports to Switzerland amid the COVID-19 pandemic is indeed of considerable value.

“The value of Indonesia’s exports to Switzerland in the first five months this year stood at more than USD1 billion, higher than that of last year which stood at only USD988 million,” he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s imports from Switzerland also saw a rise in the first five months this year.

Data from the Swiss Federal Customs Administration shows that the value of Indonesia’s imports in January-May this year stood at USD308 million with a 74% rise over the same period last year.

Pharmaceutical products are one of top products imported from Switzerland to South East Asia’s biggest economy in the midst of the Indonesian Government’s measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Imports of turbine engines, electronic parts and equipment and organic chemicals, optical instruments from Switzerland to Indonesia are also reported quite high numbers.

“In the first five months this year, we record a surplus of USD721 million,” Muliaman said, adding that exports of Indonesian products to Switzerland have increasingly broad opportunities to continue to tap.

For the record, Switzerland is an export-oriented country with foreign trade playing an important role in the country’s economic recovery amid the pandemic.

“We must seize the opportunity as supply chains from other countries may be disrupted by the pandemic,” he said. (Indonesian Embassy in Bern/MoFA/EN)

 

 

Translator: Muhardi
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas

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