XN000022-1984-09-25 — Page 3

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1934

2

EXPORTS IN AUGUST UP

****

THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN AUGUST 1984 ROSE BY 38 PER CENT OR $3 773 MILLION OVER THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR, TO REACH $13 739 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS ALSO INCREASED, BY 48 PER CENT OR

$2 315 MILLION, TO $7 171 MILLION,

-

THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS DOMESTIC EXPORTS PLUS RE-EXPORTS AT $20 910 MILLION, WAS 41 PER CENT OR $6 088 MILLION HIGHER THAN A YEAR AGO.

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS REACHED $19 126 MILLION IN AUGUST 1984, UP 27 PER CENT OR $4 007 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 $1 784 MILLION.

PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 1984 WAS $140 915 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $89 475 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $51 440 MILLION.

COMPARED WITH THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 1983, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY $44 387 MILLION OR 46 PER CENT, DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY $26 496 MILLION OR 42 PER CENT, AND RE-EXPORTS BY $17 891 MILLION OR 53 PER CENT.

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY $38 110 MILLION OR 36 PER CENT, TO $144 487 MILLION.

AS THE GROWTH RATE OF THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS FASTER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP NARROWED TO TWO PER CENT IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF 1984 FROM NINE PER CENT IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

COMMENTING ON THESE COMPARATIVE FIGURES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE STRONG TRADE PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN SUSTAINED.

EXTENDING THE PERIOD OF COMPARISON TO THE 12 MONTHS ENDING IN AUGUST 1984, HE POINTED OUT THAT THE INCREASES IN VALUE WERE 41 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 51 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS, 44 PER CENT FOR TOTAL EXPORTS AND 36 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS.

/THE FOLLOWING

.....................