XN000022-1989-05-25 — Page 5

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THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1989

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR APRIL 1989

ON A YEAR-ON-YEAR COMPARISON, THE GROWTH RATE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN APRIL WAS SIMILAR TO THAT FOR THE FIRST QUARTER AS A WHOLE. WHILE THOSE OF RE-EXPORTS AND IMPORTS DECELERATED.

THESE ARE SHOWN IN THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES RELEASED TODAY

I THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

WAS $17.480 APRIL 1988,

THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN APRIL 1989 MILLION, $1,425 MILLION OR 8.9 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN WHILE THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY $7,439 MILLION OR 36. 0 PER CENT TO $28,075 MILLION.

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THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS (DOMESTIC EXPORTS PLUS RE-EXPORTS | AT $45,555 MILLION IN APRIL 1989, WAS THUS $8,864 MILLION OR 24,2 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN APRIL 1988.

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY 19.6 PER CENT OR $7.838 MILLION OVER A YEAR EARLIER, TO $47,919 MILLION IN APRIL 1989.

PER

TO 4.9

A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $2,364 MILLION, EQUIVALENT CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN APRIL 1989.

THIS COMPARES WITH A DEFICIT OF $3,390 MILLION, EQUIVALENT 8.5 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN APRIL 1988.

то

TOTAL MADE UP

PUTTING THESE TRADE FIGURES IN PERSPECTIVE, THE VALUE OF EXPORTS IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 1989 WAS $168,604 MILLION, OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $65,407 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF 103.197 MILLION.

COMPARED WITH THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 1988, IN VALUE TERMS TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $34,875 MILLION OR 26.1 PER CENT. DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY $5,182 MILLION OR 8.6 PER CENT, AND RE-EXPORTS BY $29.693 MILLION OR 40.4 PER CENT.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY $39,003 MILLION OR 28.1 PER CENT, ΤΟ $177,950 MILLION.

A

VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $9,346 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 5.3 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 1989.

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATE OF RE-EXPORTS WAS STILL SUBSTANTIAL, THAT OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS HAD BECOME RELATIVELY MODERATE.

RETAINED IMPORTS SHOWED EVEN SLOWER GROWTH, SUGGESTING THAT THE GROWTH OF THE ECONOMY MIGHT SLOW DOWN FURTHER IN THE COMING MONTHS.

THE SPOKESMAN