Indonesia's trade balance in April 2022 recorded a surplus of USD 7,56 billion. This surplus value is the largest in history, as well as the 24th consecutive month of surplus. This May's Trade and Industry Brief discusses how the trade performance record is, on the one hand, a positive factor for post-pandemic national economic recovery, but on the other hand, it is a challenge to the industrial downstream agenda and increasing domestic added value. The increase in exports, which is mainly driven by increasing world commodity prices and the recovery of raw material needs from the world's main industrial countries, provides a policy choice for Indonesia: maximize commodity exports to increase government revenues and accelerate economic recovery or continue to reduce raw material exports while continuing to encourage efforts and industrial downstream incentives. The information used in this policy brief was obtained from the Official News of BPS Statistics, Bank Indonesia Economic and Financial Statistics, ITC Trademap, and various other sources.
