Table 3  Philippine Imports by Major Type of Goods
         May and April 2012 and May 2011
         (FOB in Thousand U.S. Dollars)

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                                                        2012                   |       2011         |    Growth Rate
Commodity Group                               May p       |       April r      |       May          |        (%)
                                       FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share | FOB Value  % Share |  Monthly    Annual
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Total Imports                          5,386,075   100.00   4,772,793   100.00   4,892,571   100.00       12.8      10.1

Capital Goods                          1,417,108    26.31   1,213,579    25.43   1,181,937    24.16       16.8      19.9

  Power generating and specialized
    machines                             313,482     5.82     291,503     6.11     290,646     5.94        7.5       7.9
  Office and electronic data
    processing machines                  183,767     3.41     163,161     3.42     158,014     3.23       12.6      16.3
  Telecommunication equipment
    and electrical machines              705,161    13.09     598,582    12.54     573,284    11.72       17.8      23.0
  Land transport equipment excluding
    passenger cars and motorized cycle    97,669     1.81      99,862     2.09      72,025     1.47       (2.2)     35.6
  Aircraft, Ships and Boats               68,091     1.26      18,772     0.39      34,986     0.72      262.7      94.6
  Professional scientific and control-
    ling instruments, photographic
    equipment and optical goods           48,938     0.91      41,700     0.87      52,981     1.08       17.4      (7.6)

Raw Materials & Intermediate Goods     1,960,442    36.40   1,909,215    40.00   2,316,738    47.35        2.7     (15.4)

  Unprocessed Raw Materials              224,809     4.17     132,293     2.77     195,332     3.99       69.9      15.1
       Wheat                             127,260     2.36      50,745     1.06      78,089     1.60      150.8      63.0
       Corn                                3,483     0.06       3,739     0.08       5,329     0.11       (6.9)    (34.6)
       Unmilled cereals excluding
         rice and corn                     1,044     0.02       1,353     0.03       1,059     0.02      (22.8)     (1.4)
       Crude materials, inedible          79,405     1.47      57,932     1.21      93,995     1.92       37.1     (15.5)
             Pulp & waste paper            3,959     0.07       4,618     0.10       8,224     0.17      (14.3)    (51.9)
             Cotton                        1,178     0.02         312     0.01       6,004     0.12      276.9     (80.4)
             Syn. Fibers                   5,803     0.11       5,826     0.12       8,039     0.16       (0.4)    (27.8)
             Metalliferous ores            2,001     0.04       2,290     0.05      21,124     0.43      (12.6)    (90.5)
             Others                       66,463     1.23      44,886     0.94      50,603     1.03       48.1      31.3
       Tobacco, unmanufactured            13,618     0.25      18,523     0.39      16,861     0.34      (26.5)    (19.2)
  Semi-Processed Raw Materials         1,735,632    32.22   1,776,922    37.23   2,121,406    43.36       (2.3)    (18.2)
       Feeding stuffs for animals         82,457     1.53      79,520     1.67      90,660     1.85        3.7      (9.0)
       Animal & vegetable oils & fats     30,231     0.56      47,397     0.99      52,201     1.07      (36.2)    (42.1)
       Chemical                          547,002    10.16     499,826    10.47     523,821    10.71        9.4       4.4
             Chemical compounds          135,526     2.52     107,636     2.26     141,899     2.90       25.9      (4.5)
             Medicinal &
               pharmaceutical chemicals   83,484     1.55      79,518     1.67      80,553     1.65        5.0       3.6
             Urea                         20,631     0.38       9,407     0.20      13,612     0.28      119.3      51.6
             Fertilizer excl. urea        25,423     0.47      21,550     0.45      27,797     0.57       18.0      (8.5)
             Artificial resins           144,466     2.68     135,632     2.84     122,886     2.51        6.5      17.6
             Others                      137,472     2.55     146,083     3.06     137,074     2.80       (5.9)      0.3
       Manufactured goods                453,577     8.42     444,544     9.31     446,917     9.13        2.0       1.5
             Paper & paper products       72,183     1.34      62,041     1.30      64,223     1.31       16.3      12.4
             Textile yarn, fabrics
               and made-up articles       58,730     1.09      59,444     1.25      64,549     1.32       (1.2)     (9.0)
             Non-metallic mineral
              manufactures                46,153     0.86      40,611     0.85      35,743     0.73       13.6      29.1
             Iron & steel                116,778     2.17     119,518     2.50     103,314     2.11       (2.3)     13.0
             Non-ferrous metals           65,419     1.21      63,248     1.33      73,619     1.50        3.4     (11.1)
             Metal products               54,308     1.01      60,873     1.28      63,510     1.30      (10.8)    (14.5)
             Others                       40,005     0.74      38,809     0.81      41,958     0.86        3.1      (4.7)
       Embroideries                        6,286     0.12       9,868     0.21       4,712     0.10      (36.3)     33.4
       Materials/Accessories for the
         manufacture of electrical
         equipment                       616,079    11.44     626,855    13.13   1,003,095    20.50       (1.7)    (38.6)
       Iron ore, not agglomerated              -        -      68,912     1.44         -        -       (100.0)      -

Mineral Fuels, Lubricant &
Related Materials                      1,290,051    23.95   1,055,039    22.11     685,909    14.02       22.3      88.1

  Coal, Coke                              48,527     0.90      77,919     1.63      39,368     0.80      (37.7)     23.3
  Petroleum crude                        552,629    10.26     376,546     7.89     282,152     5.77       46.8      95.9
  Others                                 688,895    12.79     600,574    12.58     364,388     7.45       14.7      89.1

Consumer Goods                           660,440    12.26     550,238    11.53     650,533    13.30       20.0       1.5

  Durable                                331,119     6.15     233,514     4.89     255,532     5.22       41.8      29.6
       Passenger cars & motorized cycle  202,227     3.75     107,851     2.26     111,160     2.27       87.5      81.9
       Home appliances                    24,705     0.46      25,488     0.53      26,959     0.55       (3.1)     (8.4)
       Misc. manufactures                104,188     1.93     100,175     2.10     117,413     2.40        4.0     (11.3)
  Non-Durable                            329,320     6.11     316,723     6.64     395,001     8.07        4.0     (16.6)
       Food & live animals
         chiefly for food                305,602     5.67     293,928     6.16     375,444     7.67        4.0     (18.6)
             Dairy products               66,143     1.23      71,754     1.50      84,846     1.73       (7.8)    (22.0)
             Fish & fish preparation      28,700     0.53      11,012     0.23      15,499     0.32      160.6      85.2
             Rice                         28,112     0.52      29,191     0.61      91,100     1.86       (3.7)    (69.1)
             Fruits & vegetables          29,909     0.56      28,014     0.59      23,287     0.48        6.8      28.4
             Others                      152,738     2.84     153,957     3.23     160,713     3.28       (0.8)     (5.0)
       Beverages & tobacco mfture.         7,614     0.14       7,649     0.16       3,690     0.08       (0.5)    106.4
       Articles of apparel, access.       16,104     0.30      15,147     0.32      15,867     0.32        6.3       1.5

Special Transactions                      58,035     1.08      44,723     0.94      57,454     1.17       29.8       1.0

  Articles temporarily imported &
   exported                               18,374     0.34      16,050     0.34      16,949     0.35       14.5       8.4
  Others                                  39,661     0.74      28,672     0.60      40,505     0.83       38.3      (2.1)

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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:  July 25, 2012
Related press release | Foreign trade statistics index