Merchandise Export Performance : March 2000

Aggregate merchandise exports for January to March 2000 increased by 9.6 percent to $8.607 billion from $7.852 billion a year ago.

Receipts from merchandise exports for March 2000 grew by 10.6 percent to $2.988 billion from $2.702 billion a year earlier.

Merchandise Export Performance : February 2000

Merchandise exports for the first two months of 2000 increased by 9.1 percent to $5.619 billion from $5.150 billion in 1999.

Aggregate receipts for February 2000 from merchandise exports grew by 13.0 percent to $2.902 billion from $2.569 billion a year earlier.

Merchandise Export Performance : January 2000

Aggregate receipts from merchandise exports for January 2000 grew by 4.8 percent to $2.705 billion from $2.581 billion a year ago.

External Trade Performance : December 1998

Total merchandise imports for 1998 dipped by 17.5 percent to $29.660 billion from $35.934 billion a year earlier. Nonetheless foreign exchange inflows from merchandise exports valued at $29.496 billion posted a 16.9 percent increase from $25.228 billion last year. Total trade settled at $59.156 billion which was 3.3 percent below $61.162 billion in 1997. The cumulated BOT-G deficit of $164.0 million was the lowest in 26 years.

External Trade Performance : November 1998

Pulled down by falling import payments, total trade from January to November 1998 fell by 2.8 percent to $54.572 billion from $56.138 billion last year even as merchandise exports increased by 17.3 percent to 26.970 billion from $22.997 billion in 1997. The aggregate import bill for the period dropped by 16.7 percent to $27.598 billion. The contrasting trends in the trade transactions yielded a 93.8 percent reduction in the balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) deficit which settled at $625.0 million, down from $10.144 billion last year.

National Statistics Office

Foreign Trade