XN000022-1984-09-03 — Page 2

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1934

ELECTRONICS OUTSHINES EXPORT RIVALS

****

DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS RECORDED THE LARGEST VALUE INCREASE IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF THIS YEAR, COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1983, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE VALUE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS ROSE BY $2 733 MILLION, WELL AHEAD OF ITS NEAREST RIVALS TEXTILES, WHICH PUT ON $2 112 MILLION AND WEARING APPAREL ($2 086 MILLION), PLASTIC PRODUCTS ($1 218 MILLION), PROFESSIONAL AND OPTICAL EQUIPMENT ($458 MILLION) AND METAL PRODUCTS ($282 MILLION).

TOGETHER, THESE SIX INDUSTRIES ACCOUNTED FOR 87 PER CENT

OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF MERCHANDISE DOMESTIC EXPORTS.

INDUSTRIES SHOWING THE GREATEST PERCENTAGE INCREASES WERE ELECTRICITY (UP 373 PER CENT), NON-METALLIC MINERAL PRODUCTS (UP 94 PER CENT), MACHINERY, EXCEPT ELECTRICAL (UP 70 PER CENT), TOBACCO (UP 69 PER CENT), PLASTIC PRODUCTS (UP 68 PER CENT)," AND FOOTWEAR (UP 55 PER CENT).

ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES WERE NOTED IN THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (DOWN $127 MILLION, OR 80 PER CENT), LEATHER AND LEATHER PRODUCTS (DOWN $24 MILLIÓN, OR 16 PER CENT), AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY (DOWN $1 MILLION, OR 17 PER CENT).

A DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THIS SERIES OF STATISTICS HAD BEEN DERIVED BY RE-GROUPING ALL SIX-DIGIT COMMODITY EXPORT ITEMS UNDER THE PRESENT EXTERNAL TRADE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM ACCORDING TO THE INDUSTRIES IN WHICH THESE 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.I.C.), AS DISTINCT FROM THE UNITED NATIONS STANDARD INTERNATIONAL TRADE CLASSIFICATION (S.I.T.C.) WHICH IS ADOPTED IN THE REGULAR TRADE STATISTICS REPORTS. THE SYSTEM OF RE-CLASS IF ICATION BETWEEN THE I.S.I.C. AND S.I.T.C. HAS BEEN UPDATED STARTING FROM THE FIRST QUARTER 1984 TO REFLECT CHANGES IN THE I.S.I.C. AND S.I.T.C. IN RECENT YEARS. TO MAINTAIN COMPARABILITY BETWEEN THE 1983 AND 1984 FIGURES THE DOMESTIC EXPORT STATISTICS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1983 HAVE ALSO BEEN RE-GROUPED ACCORDING TO THE NEW RE-CLASSIFICATION.

IN ORDER

/IN THE