Table 3  Philippine Imports by Major Type of Goods
         March and February 2008 and March 2007
         (FOB in Thousand U.S. Dollars)

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                                                         2008                  |       2007         |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                                March p    |    February r      |        March       |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
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Total Imports                          5,121,224   100.00   4,491,460   100.00   4,566,515   100.00     14.02    12.15

Capital Goods                          1,434,514    28.01   1,363,716    30.36   1,438,197    31.49      5.19    (0.26)

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             205,124     4.01     193,262     4.30     213,986     4.69      6.14    (4.14)
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  256,677     5.01     252,762     5.63     300,178     6.57      1.55   (14.49)
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              778,977    15.21     760,282    16.93     774,654    16.96      2.46     0.56
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    63,632     1.24      49,068     1.09      56,544     1.24     29.68    12.54
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               87,736     1.71      72,973     1.62      48,269     1.06     20.23    81.76
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           42,367     0.83      35,369     0.79      44,567     0.98     19.79    (4.93)

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     1,923,468    37.56   1,787,726    39.80   2,116,137    46.34      7.59    (9.10)

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              141,799     2.77     145,977     3.25     145,381     3.18     (2.86)   (2.46)
       Wheat                              72,392     1.41      81,130     1.81      44,153     0.97    (10.77)   63.96
       Corn                                2,207     0.04         825     0.02       1,144     0.03    167.41    92.94
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                       810     0.02       1,105     0.02         338     0.01    (26.65)  139.69
       Crude materials, inedible          55,702     1.09      48,802     1.09      84,364     1.85     14.14   (33.97)
             Pulp & waste paper            6,233     0.12       4,365     0.10       6,700     0.15     42.79    (6.97)
             Cotton                        2,217     0.04       1,090     0.02       1,824     0.04    103.44    21.54
             Syn. Fibers                   6,552     0.13       5,320     0.12       6,635     0.15     23.14    (1.26)
             Metalliferous ores            8,258     0.16       6,162     0.14      27,611     0.60     34.02   (70.09)
             Others                       32,443     0.63      31,865     0.71      41,593     0.91      1.81   (22.00)
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            10,688     0.21      14,115     0.31      15,383     0.34    (24.28)  (30.52)
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,781,669    34.79   1,641,749    36.55   1,970,756    43.16      8.52    (9.59)
       Feeding stuffs for animals         71,947     1.40      71,641     1.60      41,713     0.91      0.43    72.48
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     18,450     0.36      10,793     0.24      20,808     0.46     70.95   (11.33)
       Chemical                          438,564     8.56     365,517     8.14     349,361     7.65     19.98    25.53
             Chemical compounds          121,497     2.37      92,225     2.05     101,460     2.22     31.74    19.75
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   66,391     1.30      52,103     1.16      55,707     1.22     27.42    19.18
             Urea                          5,390     0.11      20,615     0.46       2,441     0.05    (73.85)  120.81
             Fertilizer excl. urea        36,708     0.72      13,252     0.30      15,302     0.34    176.99   139.88
             Artificial resins           102,799     2.01      95,817     2.13      83,733     1.83      7.29    22.77
             Others                      105,779     2.07      91,504     2.04      90,718     1.99     15.60    16.60
       Manufactured goods                351,641     6.87     282,515     6.29     316,661     6.93     24.47    11.05
             Paper & paper products       44,534     0.87      38,147     0.85      42,097     0.92     16.74     5.79
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       61,060     1.19      42,238     0.94      71,905     1.57     44.56   (15.08)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                20,983     0.41      17,927     0.40      15,453     0.34     17.05    35.79
             Iron & steel                131,993     2.58      97,741     2.18      77,241     1.69     35.04    70.88
             Non-ferrous metals           40,404     0.79      41,826     0.93      47,877     1.05     (3.40)  (15.61)
             Metal products               31,241     0.61      27,154     0.60      39,846     0.87     15.05   (21.60)
             Others                       21,427     0.42      17,482     0.39      22,242     0.49     22.56    (3.66)
       Embroideries                       12,381     0.24      10,984     0.24      18,551     0.41     12.72   (33.26)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                       879,164    17.17     883,700    19.68   1,215,359    26.61     (0.51)  (27.66)
       Iron ore, not agglomerated          9,522     0.19      16,600     0.37       8,302     0.18    (42.64)   14.69

Mineral fuels, lubricant and
 Related materials                     1,169,142    22.83     844,873    18.81     625,016    13.69     38.38    87.06

  Coal, Coke                              14,560     0.28       9,614     0.21      20,236     0.44     51.44   (28.05)
  Petroleum crude                        598,670    11.69     437,023     9.73     312,839     6.85     36.99    91.37
  Others                                 555,911    10.86     398,235     8.87     291,941     6.39     39.59    90.42
Consumer Goods                           528,897    10.33     435,032     9.69     326,150     7.14     21.58    62.16
  Durable                                215,861     4.22     179,434     4.00     149,054     3.26     20.30    44.82
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle  118,437     2.31     103,046     2.29      71,924     1.58     14.94    64.67
       Home appliances                    22,116     0.43      26,759     0.60      17,974     0.39    (17.35)   23.04
       Misc. manufactures                 75,308     1.47      49,628     1.10      59,156     1.30     51.74    27.30
  Non-Durable                            313,037     6.11     255,598     5.69     177,096     3.88     22.47    76.76
       Food and live animals chiefly
         for food                        299,102     5.84     244,568     5.45     165,156     3.62     22.30    81.10
             Dairy products               84,166     1.64      72,660     1.62      43,296     0.95     15.84    94.40
             Fish & fish preparation       7,038     0.14       8,266     0.18       7,952     0.17    (14.86)  (11.49)
             Rice                         90,645     1.77      72,245     1.61      17,970     0.39     25.47   404.43
             Fruits & vegetables          19,645     0.38      15,696     0.35      13,837     0.30     25.16    41.98
             Others                       97,608     1.91      75,701     1.69      82,102     1.80     28.94    18.89
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         5,334     0.10       4,476     0.10       4,815     0.11     19.18    10.78
       Articles of apparel, access.        8,601     0.17       6,554     0.15       7,125     0.16     31.23    20.72

Special Transactions                      65,204     1.27      60,114     1.34      61,015     1.34      8.47     6.86

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               22,283     0.44      16,609     0.37      24,775     0.54     34.16   (10.06)
  Others                                  42,920     0.84      43,505     0.97      36,240     0.79     (1.34)   18.43

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     Source:  Foreign Trade Statistics Section
              Industry and Trade Statistics Department
              National Statistics Office
              Republic of the Philippines

     Note:    Components may not add up to total due to rounding.
              p  Preliminary
              r  Revised

     Page last updated:  May 27, 2008
     
Related press release | Foreign trade statistics index