West Sulawesi Exports in December 2024 Down 42.60 Percent, No Imports

Mamuju, February 3, 2025 – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of West Sulawesi Province released the latest data on the development of foreign trade in West Sulawesi Province for December 2024. The data shows that exports experienced a significant decline, while imports were not recorded at all in that month.

The Head of the BPS of West Sulawesi Province, Tina Wahyufitri, in her press release on Thursday (3/2/2025) said that the value of West Sulawesi's exports in December 2024 reached US$ 28.67 million, down 42.60 percent compared to the previous month. When compared to December 2023, a greater decline occurred, namely 53.71 percent.

"This decline in exports was caused by a decline in the production of processed palm oil products, such as stearin, olein, and PFAD, in line with the trend of demand for imports of palm oil products which usually decreases at the end of the year from abroad," said Tina.

The main export commodities of West Sulawesi in December 2024 were still dominated by animal/vegetable fats and oils, which contributed 99.07 percent of the province's total exports. The largest export destination country was China, with a contribution of 99.22 percent.

West Sulawesi's export activities were carried out entirely through ports outside the province. Pantoloan Port is the main route with an export value of US$ 28.40 million (99.07 percent), followed by Makassar Port at US$ 0.21 million (0.72 percent), and Tanjung Perak Port at US$ 0.06 million (0.21 percent).

Meanwhile, in December 2024, there was no import activity recorded in West Sulawesi Province. This is different from November 2024 which recorded an import value of US$ 0.78 million. Cumulatively, West Sulawesi's total imports during January-December 2024 decreased by 70.95 percent, from US$ 13.12 million (2023) to US$ 3.81 million (2024).

"This decrease in imports reflects changes in trade dynamics and raw material needs in West Sulawesi. We will continue to monitor this trend going forward," concluded Tina.