XN000022-1985-09-06 — Page 6

5.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1985

HALF-YEARLY AIR MERCHANDISE TRADE STATISTICS RELEASED

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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE BY AIR FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 1985 VALUED AT $45 920 MILLION, SHOWED A DECREASE OF SIX PER CENT OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD ÎN 1984, ACCORDING TO SUMMARY TRADE STATISTICS ON AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT,

IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1985, 24 PER CENT OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS 20 PER CENT OF IMPORTS AND 16 PER CENT OF RE-EXPORTS, ALL BY VALUE, WERE CARRIED BY AIR. IN TERMS OF WEIGHT, AIRBORNE IMPORTS AMOUNTED TO 92 380 TONNES, REPRESENTING 0.5 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL IMPORT TONNAGE, AND TOTAL AIRBORNE EXPORTS AMOUNTED TO 102 108 TONNES OR 1.2 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL EXPORT TONNAGE.

THE CHANGES IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY MAJOR MARKET ARE GIVEN IN TABLE 1.

BY COMMODITY, DECREASES IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS WERE REGISTERED MAINLY IN OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT (BY $1 532 MILLION OR 45 PER CENT); ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES (BY $781 MILLION OR 12 PER CENT); WATCHES AND CLOCKS (BY $319 MILLIÓN OR 10 PER CENT) AS WELL AS ELECTRIC POWER MACHINERY (BY $240 MILLION OR 64 PER CENT).

INCREASES IN VALUE WERE RECORDED FOR AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF ORES AND CONCENTRATES OF PRECIOUS METALS AND WASTE, SCRAP AND SWEEPINGS OF PRECIOUS METALS (OTHER THAN OF GOLD) (BY $42 MILLION OR 14 PER CENT); ELECTRICAL MACHINERY AND APPARATUS (BY $38 MILLION OR 30 PERCENT) AS WELL AS OPTICAL GOODS (BY $12 MILLION OR 9 PER CENT).

FURTHER ANALYSIS OF COMMODITIES BY COUNTRY REVEALED DECREASES IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT TO THE U.S. (BY $1 150 MILLION OR 49 PER CENT) AND TO THE UNITED KINGDOM (BY $263 MILLION OR 70 PER CENT); ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (BY $303 MILLION OR 38 PER CENT) AND TO JAPAN (BY $164 MILLION OR 27 PER CENT) WATCHES AND CLOCKS TO SAUDI ARABIA (BY $109 MILLION OR 75 PER CENT, AS WELL AS ELECTRIC POWER MACHINERY TO THE U.S. (BY $163 MILLION OR 63 PER CENT).

HOWEVER, INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF ORES AND CONCENTRATES OF PRECIOUS METALS AND WASTE SCRAP AND SWEEPINGS OF PRECIOUS METALS (OTHER THAN OF GOLD) TO THE UNITED KINGDOM (BY $65 MILLION OR 43 PER CENT) AND TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (BY $31 MILLION OR 53 PER CENT); ELECTRICAL MACHINERY AND APPARATUS TO THE U.S. (BY $11 MILLION OR 18 PER CENT) AS WELL AS OPTICAL GOODS TO INDIA (BY $5 MILLION OR 71 PER CENT).

AMHE CHANGES