XN000022-1977-05-27 — Page 11

FRIDAY, MAY 27, 1977

10

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR APRIL 1977

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES FOR HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL MERCHANDISE TRADE DURING APRIL 1977. THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS FOR APRIL WAS $2,618 MILLION, IMPORTS WERE WORTH $4,129 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS $719 MILLION.

THE FIGURES FOR THE PERIOD FEBRUARY TO APRIL 1977 (LATEST THREE MONTHS) SHOWED INCREASES, BY VALUE, COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1976 OF 7.5 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 15 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 4.9 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTH IN 1976, INCREASES, BY VALUE, OF $183 MILLION OR 7.5 PER CENT IN EXPORTS, $661 MILLION OR 19 PER CENT IN IMPORTS AND $60 MILLION OR 9.1 PER CENT IN RE-EXPORTS WERE RECORDED.

THE SHORT TERM CHANGES, APRIL 1977 COMPARED WITH MARCH 1977, SHOWED INCREASES OF $291 MILLION OR 12.5 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND $197 MILLION OR 5 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS. THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS DECLINED BY $44 MILLION OR 5.8 PER CENT, EXPORTS ARE NOW SHOWING NORMAL RECOVERY FROM THE SEASONALLY LOW FEBRUARY/MARCH LEVELS.

THE FIGURES FOR THE 12-MONTH PERIOD FROM MAY 1976 TO APRIL 1977 COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE PREVIOUS 12-MONTH PERIOD SHOWED INCREASES, BY VALUE, OF 28.1 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 22.1 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 19.8 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

THE FOLLOWING TRADE TABLE GIVES THE COMPARATIVE FIGURES :-

COMPARATIVE FIGURES

LATEST 3 MONTHS

FEB.

1977

-

APR.

FEB.

1976

-

APR. INCREASE OR

DECREASE

$ MN.

$

MN.

$ MN.

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

7,199

6,695

IMPORTS

11,440

9,950

503

+1,490 +15.0

+ 7.5

RE-EXPORTS

2,142

2,041

101 + 4.9

APRIL

APRIL

SAME MONTH LAST YEAR

1977

1976

INCREASE OR

DECREASE

3 MN.

$ MN.

$ MN.

%

/DOMESTIC