Indonesia's budget deficit at 2.04% of GDP in Jan-July -Finance Minister

FILE PHOTO: An employee wears synthetic gloves as she counts Indonesia's rupiah banknotes at a currency exchange office amid the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 19, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's government has spent 1,368.4 trillion rupiah ($95.06 billion) between January to July this year, with the budget deficit at 336.9 trillion rupiah or 2.04% of GDP, its finance minister said on Wednesday.

That compared with a deficit of 283.2 trillion rupiah at the end of the previous month. The government forecast a budget deficit of 5.82% of GDP for full-year 2021.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government would optimise other sources to fund the deficit and try to reduce its bond issuance target, after the central bank agreed to directly purchase 215 trillion rupiah worth of bonds this year.