SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1984
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OCTOBER PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES RELEASED
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THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN OCTOBER 1984 ROSE BY 19 PER CENT OR $1 995 MILLION OVER THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR TO REACH $12 473 MILLION. ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (SUNDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS ALSO INCREASED, BY 38 PER CENT OR $2 181 MILLION, TO $7 896 MILLION, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS DOMESTIC EXPORTS PLUS RE-EXPORTS AT $20 369 MILLION, WAS 26 PER CENT OR $4 176 MILLION HIGHER THAN A YEAR AGO.
THE VALUE OF IMPORTS WAS $19 628 MILLION IN OCTOBER 1984, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 11 PER CENT OR $2 010 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 $741 MILLION.
A GOVERNMENT PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF 1984 WAS $180 840 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $114 362 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $66 478 MILLION.
COMPARED WITH THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF 1983, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS HAD INCREASED BY $53 418 MILLION OR 42 PER CENT, DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY $31 271 MILLION OR 38 PER CENT, AND RE-EXPORTS BY $22 147 MILLION OR 50 PER CENT.
THE VALUE OF IMPORTS HAD INCREASED BY $43 213 MILLION OR
31 PER CENT, TO $182 699 MILLION.
AS THE GROWTH RATE OF THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS MUCH FASTER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP HAD NARROWED TO 1 PER CENT IN THE FIRST TEN MONTHS OF 1984, FROM 9 PER CENT IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR,
COMMENTING ON THESE COMPARATIVE FIGURES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE GROWTH RATES OF THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS, RE-EXPORTS AND IMPORTS HAD ALL SLOWED DOWN IN RECENT MONTHS, DUE PRIMARILY TO THE SUBSTANTIAL RECOVERY IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1983.
HOWEVER, REFLECTING A SHARPER SLOWING DOWN IN THE GROWTH RATE OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS THAN THAT OF TOTAL EXPORTS, OCTOBER 1984 WAS THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH IN WHICH A VISIBLE TRADE SURPLUS WAS RECORDED.
/THE FOLLOWING