TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1979
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REMARKABLE GROWTH WAS RECORDED IN IMPORTS OF TEXTILE PRODUCTS ($8,681 MILLION, +31 PER CENT) AND PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($4,271 MILLION, +77 PER CENT).
INCREASES WERE ALSO REGISTERED IN ARRIVALS OF ELECTRICAL MACHINERY ($3,896 MILLION, +30 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($3,179 MILLION, +44 PER CENT), TELECOMMUNICATIONS, SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING EQUIPMENT ($2,057 MILLION, +36 PER CENT), IRON AND STEEL ($2,018 MILLION, +47 PER CENT) AND ROAD VEHICLES ($1,425 MILLION, +47 PER CENT).
HOWEVER, DECLINES WERE SIGHTED IN IMPORTS OF OTHER TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT ($339 MILLION, -29 PER CENT) AND COFFEE, TEA, COCOA AND SPICES ($263 MILLION, -14 PER CENT).
RE-EXPORTS PROSPERED IN 1978 AND AN UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH
OF 34 PER CENT WAS RECORDED. THE MAIN IMPORTING COUNTRIES INCLUDED JAPAN ($2,282 MILLION, +70 PER CENT), SINGAPORE ($1,390 MILLION, +31 PER CENT), INDONESIA ($1,302 MILLION, +23 PER CENT),
U.S.A. ($1,232 MILLION, +39 PER CENT) AND TAIWAN ($1,221 MILLION, +40 PER CENT).
INCREASES WERE FOUND LARGELY IN DELIVERIES OF TEXTILE PRODUCTS ($1,815 MILLION, +51 PER CENT), PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($1,739 MILLION, +52 PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($874 MILLION, +15 PER CENT), ELECTRICAL MACHINERY ($664 MILLION, +30 PER CENT) AND CLOTHING ($464 MILLION, +50 PER CENT).
THE TRADE INDEX NUMBERS FOR NOVEMBER, 1978 (1973-100) WERE RELEASED AS FOLLOWS:
VALUE INDEX
UNIT VALUE
INDEX
QUANTUM INDEX
DOMESTIC EXPORTS
234
144
162
IMPORTS
266
147
180
THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX FOR NOVEMBER WAS 98.
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