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Wood pellet commodities are recorded as the largest contributor to Gorontalo Province's total foreign exchange (forex) revenue from exports in 2024. The processed wood products contributed Rp335.58 billion, or more than 60 percent of the Rp551.05 billion in total export forex revenue.
Azhar Ismail, head of the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin) Gorontalo Province Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Main Station - or Gorontalo Quarantine - explained that there were seven leading plant export commodities that contributed to Gorontalo's export forex as of October 2024.
"The export value of the seven exported plant commodities was Rp551.05 billion from a total of 239 exports," he stated on Oct. 24, 2024.
First, corn kernels which were exported to the Philippines four times for Rp132.68 billion in total. Second, grated coconut exported 180 times to Germany, England, the Netherlands, Russia, Poland for Rp40.33 billion in total. Third, coconut milk exported 28 times to China and Malaysia for Rp9.79 billion.
Fourth crude coconut oil exported 10 times to China for Rp4.78 billion. Fifth, coconut water exported to China once for Rp70.07 million. Sixth, wood pellets exported 14 times to South Korea and Japan. Seventh, molasses exported to the Philippines twice for Rp27.79 billion.
"As a wood pellet manufacturing company operating in Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo, we run the wood pellet business in line with applicable provisions and regulations. That includes carrying out the process of exporting products to Japan and South Korea in collaboration with the [Gorontalo] Quarantine, [Gorontalo] Customs and Excise [Regional Office], as well as other authorized institutions," Biomasa Jaya Abadi (BJA) Port Manager Tommy Darmadi said on the same occasion.
Based on its compliance and contribution, BJA has also received an award in August 2024 in Manado City, North Sulawesi Province from the Finance Ministry's North Sulawesi Customs and Excise Regional Office as the largest export forex earner in Gorontalo. At that time, BJA's contribution reached more than 55% of the total export foreign exchange of Gorontalo Province.
Finance Ministry's Gorontalo Customs and Excise Regional Office Head Ade Zirwan explained that, statistically speaking, Indonesia's main export markets are China, Japan, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Throughout September 2024, Export demand from the ASEAN market fell throughout 2024, while the Chinese market is still stable and the Japan is also relatively more stable.
Ade added that, based on the data, Gorontalo's budget is not comparable to the locally-generated revenue (PAD) it could achieve, so it needs to rely on transfer payment from the central government. Thus, efforts to develop Gorontalo faster than other provinces must rely on trade and investments.
"With capital, there would be incoming fresh funds, which would later belong to people in Gorontalo [through what it is spent on]. Our money will be reported and spent in Gorontalo. There will be a multiplier effect on other sectors in Gorontalo," He said.
