Imports from the Top 10 Countries Decreased by 9.82% in September 2018

The government's policy of raising the import income tax (PPH) rate, or Article 22 PPH, on 1,147 goods to control imports and improve the trade deficit appears quite effective. This is reflected in data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) showing that non-oil and gas imports in September 2018 fell 10.52% from the previous month.

All ten major countries of origin for imports experienced a decline. Non-oil and gas imports from China fell 6.42% to US$3.7 billion, imports from Japan fell 13.7% to US$1.32 billion, and imports from Thailand also decreased by 3% to US$920.9 million. In total, imports from these ten major countries fell 9.82% to US$9.54 billion.

Based on ten commodity groups (HS 2 digits), those experiencing a decrease in import value include machinery and mechanical appliances, down 6.27% to US$2.18 billion. This was followed by a 13.22% decrease in imports of electrical machinery/equipment to US$1.7 billion, and a 29.75% decrease in iron and steel goods to US$266.6 million.