XN000022-1984-03-23 — Page 6

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1984

1

5 -

ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS GOODS EXPORTS RISE SHARPLY

****

DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS GREW BY 45 PER CENT LAST YEAR TO REACH $24 027 MILLION, COMPARED WITH $16 601 MILLION FOR 1982, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THIS INCREASE OF $7 426 MILLION WAS THE LARGEST IN ABSOLUTE VALUE TERMS AMONG ALL INDUSTRY GROUPS, ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT'S DOMESTIC EXPORT STATISTICS ANALYSED BY INDUSTRIAL ORIGIN FOR THE WHOLE OF 1983.

TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT HEADED THE GROUPS IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGE GROWTH, INCREASING BY 170 PER CENT TO $427 MILLION, AGAINST THE 1982 FIGURE OF $158 MILLION.

IN TERMS OF THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS, THE SIX MOST IMPORTANT INDUSTRY GROUPS WERE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS, WEARING APPAREL, TEXTILES, PROFESSIONAL AND OPTICAL EQUIPMENT, PLASTIC PRODUCTS, AND METAL PRODUCTS. THESE ACCOUNTED FOR 86 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF MERCHANDISE DOMESTIC EXPORTS, WHICH CAME TO $104 405 MILLION IN 1983.

THE LARGEST INCREASES IN ABSOLUTE VALUE OVER 1982. IN ADDITION TO ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS (+$7 426 MILLION), OCCURRED IN TEXTILES (+$4 819 MILLION), WEARING APPAREL (+$2 909 MILLION) METAL PRODUCTS (+$1 469 MILLIÓN), PROFESSIONAL AND OPTICAL EQUIPMENT (+$1 305 MILLION), AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS (+$872 MILLION).

IN RELATIVE TERMS. INDUSTRIES WITH THE LARGEST INCREASES WERE TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT, BEVERAGES AND TOBACCO, THE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF WHICH IN 1983 WERE MORE THAN DOUBLE THOSE IN 1982. ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE RECORDED FOR AGRICULTURAL, LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY PRODUCTION (-$13 MILLION) RUBBER PRODUCTS (-$3 MILLION), AND PETROLEUM AND COAL PRODUCTS (-$1 MILLION).

IN PERCENTAGE TERMS, THE DECREASES IN THESE THREE INDUSTRY GROUPS WERE -33 PER CENT, -4 PER CENT AND -100 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

A CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THIS SERIES IS DERIVED BY RE-GROUPING ALL SIX-DIGIT COMMODITY EXPORT ITEMS UNDER THE PRESENT EXTERNAL TRADE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM ACCORDING TO THE INDUSTRIES IN WHICH THESE COMMODITY ITEMS ARE NORMALLY PRODUCED. SINCE ITS SCOPE IS CONFINED TO MERCHANDISE TRADE, TRANSACTIONS IN GOLD AND SPECIE ARE NOT INCLUDED.

THE CLASSIFICATION OF COMMODITY EXPORT ITEMS BY INDUSTRIAL ORIGIN IS STRUCTURED UPON THE UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION OF ALL ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES (1.S.1.C.) AS DISTINCT FROM THE UNITED NATIONS STANDARD INTERNATIONAL TRADE CLASSIFICATION (S. 1.T.C.) WHICH IS ADOPTED IN THE REGULAR TRADE STATISTICS REPORTS.

/WHEN INTERPRETING