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

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                                                         2008                  |       2007         |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                                April p    |       March r      |        April       |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | Monthly    Annual
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Total Imports                          4,855,497   100.00   5,121,821   100.00   4,342,797   100.00     (5.20)   11.81

Capital Goods                          1,366,177    28.14   1,434,533    28.01   1,135,965    26.16     (4.77)   20.27

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             233,271     4.80     205,165     4.01     170,607     3.93     13.70    36.73
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  251,344     5.18     256,678     5.01     232,528     5.35     (2.08)    8.09
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              648,457    13.36     778,953    15.21     530,217    12.21    (16.75)   22.30
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    59,611     1.23      63,631     1.24      50,304     1.16     (6.32)   18.50
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats              137,526     2.83      87,736     1.71     107,793     2.48     56.75    27.58
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           35,968     0.74      42,370     0.83      44,517     1.03    (15.11)  (19.20)

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     1,840,905    37.91   1,925,121    37.59   1,906,520    43.90     (4.37)   (3.44)

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              216,323     4.46     141,889     2.77      98,523     2.27     52.46   119.57
       Wheat                              69,465     1.43      72,393     1.41       8,860     0.20     (4.04)  683.99
       Corn                                4,060     0.08       2,207     0.04       2,614     0.06     83.96    55.34
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                     1,195     0.02         810     0.02         281     0.01     47.52   325.36
       Crude materials, inedible         120,167     2.47      55,791     1.09      72,278     1.66    115.39    66.26
             Pulp & waste paper            5,662     0.12       6,233     0.12       4,543     0.10     (9.16)   24.63
             Cotton                        1,585     0.03       2,217     0.04       3,913     0.09    (28.53)  (59.50)
             Syn. Fibers                   4,833     0.10       6,552     0.13       6,341     0.15    (26.24)  (23.79)
             Metalliferous ores           55,866     1.15       8,260     0.16      17,925     0.41    576.36   211.66
             Others                       52,221     1.08      32,530     0.64      39,556     0.91     60.53    32.02
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            21,436     0.44      10,688     0.21      14,490     0.33    100.56    47.94
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,624,582    33.46   1,783,232    34.82   1,807,997    41.63     (8.90)  (10.14)
       Feeding stuffs for animals         62,727     1.29      71,947     1.40      31,486     0.73    (12.82)   99.23
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     21,349     0.44      18,433     0.36       9,102     0.21     15.82   134.56
       Chemical                          439,660     9.05     438,612     8.56     301,980     6.95      0.24    45.59
             Chemical compounds           94,319     1.94     121,494     2.37      80,505     1.85    (22.37)   17.16
             Medicinal and pharmaceutical
               chemical                   56,918     1.17      66,392     1.30      48,850     1.12    (14.27)   16.52
             Urea                         30,609     0.63       5,390     0.11       5,250     0.12    467.88   483.07
             Fertilizer excl. urea        60,682     1.25      36,708     0.72       8,422     0.19     65.31   620.49
             Artificial resins            90,347     1.86     102,806     2.01      71,922     1.66    (12.12)   25.62
             Others                      106,783     2.20     105,823     2.07      87,031     2.00      0.91    22.70
       Manufactured goods                347,483     7.16     351,525     6.86     370,853     8.54     (1.15)   (6.30)
             Paper & paper products       39,784     0.82      44,517     0.87      40,660     0.94    (10.63)   (2.15)
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       62,204     1.28      61,060     1.19      82,605     1.90      1.87   (24.70)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                20,631     0.42      20,983     0.41      17,040     0.39     (1.68)   21.07
             Iron & steel                136,423     2.81     131,993     2.58     110,702     2.55      3.36    23.23
             Non-ferrous metals           39,968     0.82      40,402     0.79      57,531     1.32     (1.07)  (30.53)
             Metal products               28,187     0.58      31,205     0.61      38,928     0.90     (9.67)  (27.59)
             Others                       20,286     0.42      21,364     0.42      23,386     0.54     (5.05)  (13.25)
       Embroideries                       16,406     0.34      12,381     0.24      29,627     0.68     32.51   (44.63)
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                       725,789    14.95     880,812    17.20   1,043,840    24.04    (17.60)  (30.47)
       Iron ore, not agglomerated         11,168     0.23       9,522     0.19      21,109     0.49     17.29   (47.10)

Mineral fuels, lubricant and
 Related materials                     1,037,369    21.36   1,169,140    22.83     912,084    21.00    (11.27)   13.74

  Coal, Coke                              19,136     0.39      14,560     0.28      23,692     0.55     31.42   (19.23)
  Petroleum crude                        597,794    12.31     598,670    11.69     564,893    13.01     (0.15)    5.82
  Others                                 420,438     8.66     555,910    10.85     323,499     7.45    (24.37)   29.97
Consumer Goods                           551,332    11.35     528,872    10.33     339,306     7.81      4.25    62.49
  Durable                                210,309     4.33     215,834     4.21     140,572     3.24     (2.56)   49.61
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle  108,718     2.24     118,438     2.31      66,297     1.53     (8.21)   63.99
       Home appliances                    21,122     0.44      22,115     0.43      16,417     0.38     (4.49)   28.66
       Misc. manufactures                 80,470     1.66      75,280     1.47      57,858     1.33      6.89    39.08
  Non-Durable                            341,023     7.02     313,038     6.11     198,734     4.58      8.94    71.60
       Food and live animals chiefly
         for food                        328,023     6.76     299,103     5.84     187,191     4.31      9.67    75.23
             Dairy products               43,428     0.89      84,167     1.64      39,341     0.91    (48.40)   10.39
             Fish & fish preparation      11,571     0.24       7,038     0.14       4,527     0.10     64.41   155.62
             Rice                        155,160     3.20      90,645     1.77      56,637     1.30     71.17   173.96
             Fruits & vegetables          16,970     0.35      19,645     0.38      11,986     0.28    (13.62)   41.58
             Others                      100,894     2.08      97,608     1.91      74,699     1.72      3.37    35.07
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         5,396     0.11       5,334     0.10       4,359     0.10      1.16    23.78
       Articles of apparel, access.        7,604     0.16       8,601     0.17       7,184     0.17    (11.59)    5.84

Special Transactions                      59,714     1.23      64,154     1.25      48,922     1.13     (6.92)   22.06

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               23,195     0.48      21,350     0.42      16,468     0.38      8.64    40.85
  Others                                  36,519     0.75      42,804     0.84      32,454     0.75    (14.68)   12.52

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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:  June 25, 2008
       
Related press release | Foreign trade statistics index