MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 1983
PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR DECEMBER 1982 ******
THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR DECEMBER 1982 WAS $12 887 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AT $8 391 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS AT $4 496 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY,
WITH IMPORTS AT $14 045 MILLION, THE VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT FOR DECEMBER WAS $1 158 MILLION.
FOR 1982 AS A WHOLE, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS $127 385 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AT $83 032 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS AT $44 353 MILLION. WITH IMPORTS AT $142 894 MILLION, THE VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT FOR 1982 WAS $15 509 MILLION.
A COMPARISON OF 1982 WITH 1981 SHOWS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY $5 222 MILLION OR FOUR PER CENT, COMPRISING INCREASES OF $2 609 MILLION OR THREE PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND $2 613 MILLION OR SIX PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY $4 519 MILLION OR THREE PER CENT. THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP (THAT IS THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS) NARROWED TO 10.9 PER CENT FROM 11.7 PER CENT IN 1981.
COMMENTING ON THE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT, INFLUENCED BY THE WORLD RECESSION, THE GROWTH RATES OF THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS AND OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS HAD BOTH SLOWED DOWN IN 1982. BUT AS THE GROWTH RATE OF THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS STILL SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP HAD NARROWED.
A COMPARISON OF DECEMBER 1982 WITH DECEMBER 1981 SHOWS THE THE FOLLOWING INCREASES IN VALUE $593 MILLION OR EIGHT PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, $594 MILLION OR 15 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS, $1 187 MILLION OR 10 PER CENT FOR TOTAL EXPORTS AND $1 028 MILLION OR EIGHT PER CENT FOR IMPORTS.
THESE PERCENTAGE INCREASES WERE HIGHER THAN THE CORRESPONDING AVERAGES FOR THE WHOLE YEAR.
ALTHOUGH THIS COULD BE TAKEN AS THE FIRST SIGN OF RECOVERY, THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN CAUTIONED THAT TOO MUCH SHOULD NOT BE READ INTO ONE MONTH'S FIGURES. THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP WAS 8.2 PER CENT IN DECEMBER 1982, COMPARED WITH 10.1 PER CENT IN DECEMBER 1981.
THE FOLLOWING