SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 19.
PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY ******
THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN JANUARY 1985 GREW BY FOUR PER CENT OR $375 MILLION OVER THE FIGURE FOR JANUARY LAST YEAR, TO REACH $11 166 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 50 PER CENT OR $2 982 MILLION TO 58 958 MILLION.
THUS, TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT $20 124 MILLION, WAS 20 PER CENT OR $3 357 MILLION HIGHER THAN A YEAR EARLIER.
THE VALUE OF IMPORTS REACHED $19 119 MILLION, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 20 PER CENT OR $3 220 MILLION OVER THE VALUE FOR THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR.
AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS GREATER THAN THAT OF IMPORT, THE VISIBLE TRADE ACCOUNT RECORDED A SURPLUS OF $1 005 MILLION.
PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT COMPARING THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDING JANUARY 1985 WITH THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDING JANUARY 1984, OVERALL TRADE HAD GROWN BY 30 PER CENT, FURTHER, THE GROWTH RATE OF THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT 34 PER CENT, WAS FASTER THAN THAT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, AT 26 PER CENT.
AS A RESULT, THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP (THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THAT OF TOTAL EXPORTS) NARROWED TO ONE PER CENT IN THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDING JANUARY 1985, FROM SEVEN PER CENT IN THE PREVIOUS TWELVE-MONTH PERIOD.
COMMENTING ON THESE COMPARATIVE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT TRADE FIGURES FOR THE BEGINNING MONTHS OF THE YEAR ARE, AS USUAL, INFLUENCED BY THE TIMING OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR. THE SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN THE VALUE OF IMPORTS IN JANUARY 1985 (OVER JANUARY 1984) WAS IN PART DUE TO ANTICIPATION OF HIGHER RETAIL SALES DURING THE NEW YEAR FESTIVAL.
THE FOLLOWING TABLE PRESENTS THE PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY 1985:-
MERCHANDISE:
DOMESTIC EXPORTS
$11 166 MILLION
RE-EXPORTS
S 8 958 MILLION
TOTAL EXPORTS
$20 124 MILLION
IMPORTS
$19 119 MILLION
TRADE BALANCE
1 $ 1 005 MILLION
IN SURPLUS)
/COMPARATIVE FIGURES