WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1984
PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JULY 1984
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THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN JULY 1984 ROSE BY 33 PER CENT, OR $3 242 MILLION OVER THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR, TO REACH $13 095 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS ALSO INCREASED, BY 49 PER CENT, OR $2 324 MILLION, TO $7 042 MILLION. TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT $20 137 MILLION, WAS 38 PER CENT, OR $5 566 MILLION, HIGHER THAN A YEAR AGO.
THE VALUE OF IMPORTS REACHED $19 816 MILLION IN JULY 1984, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 31 PER CENT, OR $4 632 MILLION, OVER THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR. AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS GREATER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE ACCOUNT RECORDED A SURPLUS OF $321 MILLION. THIS IS THE FIRST JULY SURPLUS SINCE 1976.
PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF 1984 WAS $120 009 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $75 736 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $44 273 MILLION. COMPARED WITH THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF 1983, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS HAD INCREASED BY $38 303 MILLION OR 47 PER CENT DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY $22 722 MILLION OR 43 PER CENT, AND RE-EXPORTS BY $15 581 MILLION OR 54 PER CENT. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS HAD INCREASED BY $34 112 MILLION OR 37 PER CENT, TO $125 370 MILLION. AS THE GROWTH RATE OF THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS FASTER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP NARROWED TO FOUR PER CENT IN THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF 1984 FROM 10 PER CENT IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
COMMENTING ON THESE COMPARATIVE FIGURES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE STRONG TRADE PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN SUSTAINED. EXTENDING THE PERIOD OF COMPARISON TO THE 12 MONTHS ENDING JULY 1984, THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE INCREASES IN VALUE WERE 40 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 50 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS, 44 PER CENT FOR TOTAL EXPORTS AND 37 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS.
THE FOLLOWING TABLE PRESENTS THE PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR JULY 1984:-
MERCHANDISE:
DOMESTIC EXPORTS
RE-EXPORTS
$13 095 MILLION
TOTAL EXPORTS
$ 7 042 MILLION
$20 137 MILLION
IMPORTS
TRADE BALANCE
$19 816 MILLION
321 MILLION (IN SURPLUS)
/COMPARATIVE FIGURES