The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) for South Sulawesi (Sulbagsel) notes that the trade balance for South Sulawesi (Sulsel) from January to March 2024 maintains a surplus of USD 103.24 million or approximately IDR 1.67 trillion (at an exchange rate of IDR 16,200 per USD). Zaeni Rokhman, Head of Customs Affairs at DGCE Sulbagsel, states that key commodities from the mining, agriculture, and marine sectors continue to contribute significantly to the province's foreign exchange reserves. The trade balance reveals that Sulsel exported various key commodities worth USD 411.69 million and imported approximately USD 308.45 million from January to March 2024, resulting in a surplus of USD 103.24 million. Zaeni explains that Sulsel consistently achieves a surplus in its trade balance each month due to the significant export figures of its key commodities, particularly nickel, which contributes over 50% of the total exports.
For the mining sector, the January-March 2024 trade amounted to USD 230.02 million, accounting for 55.87% of the total trade, while the processing sector ranked second with USD 145.54 million, contributing around 35.35%. Trade in services contributed USD 31.68 million (7.70%), and the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector recorded transactions of USD 3.27 million (0.79%). In terms of imports, processed goods accounted for USD 180.61 million (58.55%), followed by trade at USD 83.58 million (27.10%), mining at USD 38.42 million (12.78%), and construction at USD 2.64 million (0.86%). Key export commodities include nickel-mate and ferro-nickel, seaweed, cement, and carrageenan, while imports primarily consist of wheat, rice, sugar, soybean meal and residue, and mineral fuels. In March 2024 alone, the trade balance for South Sulawesi remained surplus, with approximately USD 54.93 million or around IDR 831 billion (at an exchange rate of IDR 16,200 per USD), derived from exports worth USD 145.95 million and imports totaling USD 91.02 million.
