The Central Statistics Agency (Badan Pusat Statistik) reported that the trade balance of Bengkulu Province from January to September 2023 experienced a surplus of USD 182.51 million. "The trade balance of Bengkulu Province in September 2023 recorded a surplus of USD 10.58 million. Meanwhile, the trade balance of Bengkulu Province from January to September 2023 saw a surplus of USD 182.51 million," said Sahranudin, Head of the General Division at the Bengkulu Province BPS, on Wednesday. He mentioned that the highest trade surplus was observed in April 2022, with a surplus of USD 42.18 million. Furthermore, in October 2022, there was a surplus of USD 35.06 million, and in May 2023, the surplus was USD 34.88 million. The lowest trade surplus occurred in January 2022, with a surplus of USD 4.42 million.
Sahranudin explained that the total exports of Bengkulu Province in September 2023 amounted to USD 10.58 million. The total export value for September 2023 declined by 30.07% compared to August 2023, which was recorded at USD 15.13 million. The decline in Bengkulu's export performance was due to a significant reduction in the export of commodities such as coal, palm kernel shells, and rubber in September 2023 compared to the previous month. "The decrease in exports is attributed to the decline in the export values of various commodities. The export of coal decreased by 30.99%, palm kernel shell exports fell by 35.35%, and rubber exports decreased by 9.70%," he stated. The commodities exported by Bengkulu Province in September 2023 included coal worth USD 8.81 million, accounting for 83.27% of the total exports, palm kernel shells worth USD 0.92 million (8.66%), rubber worth USD 0.85 million (8.01%), leeches worth USD 4.32 thousand (0.04%), and other commodities worth USD 1.06 thousand (0.001%).
