TUESDAY, MARCH 27. 1984
THUS, THE VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT FOR FEBRUARY THIS YEAR WAS $2 833 MILLION.
THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP, THAT IS THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THAT OF TOTAL EXPORTS, IN FEBRUARY 1984 WAS 19 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 11 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR.
PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT BECAUSE OF THE EFFECT OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS ON FEBRUARY'S FIGURES, IT WAS PROBABLY MORE USEFUL TO CONSIDER THE FIGURES OF JANUARY AND FEBRUARY TOGETHER.
ON THIS BASIS, THE VALUES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND OF RE-EXPORTS IN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THIS YEAR WERE 47 PER CENT AND 55 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 1983.
THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS THUS 50 PER CENT HIGHER, INDICATING THAT THE STRONG EXPORT PERFORMANCE HAS CONTINUED.
THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, ON THE OTHER HAND, INCREASED BY 41 PER CENT OVER THE SAME PERIOD.
THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP IN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 1984, AT SIX PER CENT, WAS SMALLER THAN THAT IN THE SAME PERIOD OF 1983, AT 12 PER CENT.
EXTENDING THE PERIOD OF COMPARISON TO THE 12 MONTHS ENDING IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR WITH THE 12 MONTHS ENDING IN FEBRUARY 1983, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE INCREASES IN VALUE WERE 31 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 35 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS, 32 PER CENT FOR TOTAL EXPORTS AND 29 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS.
THE FOLLOWING TABLE PRESENTS THE PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY 1984:-
MERCHANDISE:
DOMESTIC EXPORTS : $ 6 822 MILLION
RE-EXPORTS
TOTAL EXPORTS
IMPORTS
TRADE BALANCE
: $ 5 093 MILLION
$11 915 MILLION
: $14 748 MILLION
* $ 2 833 MILLION (IN DEFICIT)
/COMPARATIVE FIGURES