Trade figures for recent months published by the central statistics bureau show increase in most import sectors. The bureau noted that the largest increase of 35% was in capital goods import and 30.8% in raw materials import.
Export has continued it’s growth trend mainly in high-tech sectors as well as in the traditional sectors.
during May import totaled us$ 3.7 billion while export totaled us$ 2.8 billion.
During the first five months import totaled us$16.2 billion while export for the same period totaled us$13.7 billions.
Import
During May, total registered import was us$3.7 billions. Out of that figure Import of raw materials accounted for 40% , 18% capital goods, mainly machinery and transport equipment, 12% consumer goods and the rest being diamonds, energy, ships and planes.
Foreign trade trend analysis of the published trade figures, carried out by the central statistics bureau, show that if seasonal changes are discounted the increase of import in the last three months show a 25.8% annual growth rate in import.( not including diamonds, planes and energy ).
Import of raw materials ( excluding diamonds and energy ), in the last three months, registered an annually calculated growth rate of 30.8% .( during the period December 2003 and February 2004 raw materials import registered an annually calculated growth rate of 44.3% ).
A sector analysis indicate increase in almost all sectors:
· Iron & steel registered an increase of 62.5%.
· Import of raw materials to the machinery & electronics sectors, an increase of 43/7%.
· Non ferrous metals – 37.6%.
· Textiles – 32.4%
· Rubber & plastics 16.3%.
Import of capital goods ( excluding ships & planes ) registered during the period March – May 2004 an annual growth rate of 35%.
Import of consumer goods registered during the last three months an annually calculated growth rate of 8.7%.
Export
Export during May 2004 totaled us$2.8 billions. 64% of which was industrial export ( excluding diamonds ) 33% diamonds and agriculture produce.
Trend analysis indicate a growth rate of 13.1% during the last three months.
Export of high-tech which registered 16.3% in the last three months accounts for 46% of total industrial exports while export of traditional industrial export account for 26%.
Export of polished and unpolished diamonds totaled us$4.1 billions compared to us$3.2 billions in the same period last year.
Agriculture export in the first five months indicate an increase of 30.7% compared to the same period last year. The increase was registered mainly in vegetables 67.5%,cotton up 30.8%, citrus up 20.3% while avocado and fruits down 16.4%.
