4
THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 1978
THE FOLLOWING TABLE ILLUSTRATES THE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTIONS :-
JAN.-APR.77
(HK$ MN)
JAN.-APR.78
(HK$ MN)
INCREASE/DECREASE
(HK$ MN)
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
MANUFACTURED
GOODS CLASSI-
FIED CHIEFLY 4,503
5,635
+1,132
+ 25%
BY MATERIAL
(MAINLY
TEXTILE
PRODUCTS AND
DIAMONDS)
MACHINERY
AND
3,069
3,547
+
478
+ 16%
TRANSPORT
EQUIPMENT
FOOD AND
LIVE
ANIMALS
2,315
2,492
177
8%
CHIEFLY FOR
FOOD
MISCELLANEOUS
MANUFACTURED
ARTICLES
1,770
2,323
553
+ 31%
(MAINLY
WATCHES AND
CLOCKS
ARTICLES OF
APPAREL)
CHEMICALS AND
RELATED
1,151
1,301
151
+ 13%
PRODUCTS
IN TERMS OF COMMODITIES, INCREASED IMPORTS OF TEXTILE FABRICS ($1,476 MILLION, +21.0 PER CENT), PETROLEUM AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS ($958 MILLION, +12.6 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($803 MILLION, +31.9 PER CENT) AND ROAD VEHICLES ($432 MILLION, +45.7 PER CENT) WERE THE MAJOR FACTORS INFLUENCING THE RISING OF IMPORTS IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF THIS YEAR.
OTHER MAJOR INCREASES WERE REGISTERED IN THE IMPORTS OF OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT ($375 MILLION, +35.3 PER CENT) AND ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ASSESSORIES (3326 MILLION, +39.5 PER CENT).
RE-EXPORT ACTIVITY EXPANDED BRISKLY WITH THE BULK OF INCREASE RECORDED IN PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($530 MILLION, +46.4 PER CENT), PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, OPTICAL GOODS AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($366 MILLION, +25,8 PER CENT) AND ROAD VEHICLES ($88 MILLION, +219.8 PER CENT).
/IN CONTRAST,