MONDAY, JULY 27, 1981
5
ANALYSIS OF MERCHANDISE TRADE STATISTICS RECLASSIFIED BY
INDUSTRIAL ORIGIN FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1981
*****
THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (MONDAY) RELEASED EXTERNAL TRADE STATISTICS ANALYSED BY INDUSTRIAL ORIGIN FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1981.
THIS SERIES IS DERIVED BY RE-GROUPING ALL SIX-DIGIT COMMODITY ITEMS UNDER THE PRESENT EXTERNAL TRADE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM, ACCORDING TO THE INDUSTRIES IN WHICH THESE COMMODITY ITEMS ARE NORMALLY PRODUCED.
SINCE ITS SCOPE IS CONFINED TO MERCHANDISE TRADE, TRANSACTIONS IN GOLD AND SPECIE ARE NOT INCLUDED.
FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, THE SIX MOST IMPORTANT INDUSTRY GROUPS WERE WEARING APPAREL, ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES, TEXTILES, PROFESSIONAL AND OPTICAL EQUIPMENT, PLASTIC PRODUCTS, AND METAL PRODUCTS. THEY TOGETHER ACCOUNTED FOR 87 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1981.
THE LARGEST INCREASES IN VALUE TERMS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1981 OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF 1980 OCCURRED IN WEARING APPAREL ($682 MILLION), ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES ($496 MILLION), TEXTILES (3492 MILLION), AND PROFESSIONAL AND OPTICAL EQUIPMENT ($374 MILLION).
IN PERCENTAGE TERMS. THE HIGHEST INCREASES WERE TOBACCO (57 PER CENT), ELECTRICITY (52 PER CENT), RUBBER PRODUCTS (49 PER CENT), AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY (42 PER CENT), AND BEVERAGES (41 PER CENT).
SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE RECORDED
IN PLASTIC PRODUCTS (-$13 MILLION) WHEN EXPRESSED IN VALUE TERMS, AND IN MINING AND QUARRYING (-67 PER CENT), AND PETROLEUM AND COAL PRODUCTS (-40 PER CENT) WHEN EXPRESSED IN PERCENTAGE TERMS.
FOR IMPORTS, PRODUCTS OF THE TEXTILES, ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES, CHEMICALS, PETROLEUM AND COAL, PROFESSIONAL AND OPTICAL EQUIPMENT, METALS, AND FOOD INDUSTRIES TOGETHER TOOK UP 68 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF IMPORTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1981.
INCREASES IN VALUE TERMS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1981 OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD OF 1980 WERE LARGEST IN TEXTILES ($1 298 MILLION), ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES ($1 088 MILLION), AND PROFESSIONAL AND OPTICAL EQUIPMENT ($746 MILLION).
#
IN PERCENTAGE TERMS, THE HIGHEST INCREASES WERE TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (70 PER CENT), PROFESSIONAL AND OPTICAL EQUIPMENT (47 PER CENT), WEARING APPAREL (46 PER CENT), MINING AND QUARRYING (44 PER CENT), FOOTWEAR (41 PER CENT), AND PETROLEUM AND COAL PRODUCTS (41 PER CENT). DECREASE WAS HOWEVER OBSERVED IN THE IMPORTS OF FORESTRY AND LOGGING PRODUCTS (-15 PER CENT).
FURTHER DETAILS OF MERCHANDISE TRADE STATISTICS RECLASS IF IED BY INDUSTRIAL ORIGIN MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT (AT 3-7213578).
16