The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) of South Sulawesi recorded a consistent trade surplus in South Sulawesi's export and import balance until July 2023, amounting to approximately USD 667.33 million or equivalent to IDR 10.21 trillion (at an exchange rate of IDR 15,000). The Head of the DJBC South Sulawesi Regional Office, stated in Makassar on Tuesday that this surplus has been sustained for 43 months. The export value of South Sulawesi until July reached USD 1.3 billion USD, with imports amounting to USD 659 million USD. South Sulawesi's monthly surplus in the trade balance is due to the province's prominent commodities, consistently registering significant export figures each month. In fact, for nickel commodities, it contributes over 50 percent of the entire export value every month, thus significantly contributing to the nation's foreign exchange reserves.

For the nickel commodity, the trade value for July 2023 reached USD 748.44 million, constituting 56.41% of the total trade. Following nickel, the second prominent export commodity for South Sulawesi is marine products, with a trade value of USD 264.74 million, accounting for 19.95%. Ferro-nickel follows with a transaction value of USD 182.23 million (13.74%), and Cement with approximately USD 30.07 million or around 2.27%. Another major commodity, animal feed, recorded a transaction value of USD 15.94 million, or approximately 1.20%. In July, there were five prominent commodities driving South Sulawesi's export transactions. All five contribute significantly to the trade balance. These five are nickel matte, marine products, ferro-nickel, cement, and animal feed," he further elaborated. The primary export destinations for South Sulawesi include Japan, China, Taiwan, and Australia.
 
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.antaranews.com/amp/berita/3682716/sulsel-juli-2023-surplus-perdagangan-667-juta-dolar-as