External Trade Performance : September 2000

Total external trade in goods for January to September 2000 amounted to $51.494 billion which was 5.8 percent higher than $48.683 billion in 1999. Merchandise exports valued at $27.867 billion rose by 9.0 percent from $25.558 billion last year while total imports went up by 2.2 percent to $23.627 billion from $23.125 billion a year ago. Balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) for the period stood at a surplus of $4.240 billion.

External Trade Performance : July 1999

Total merchandise trade for the first seven months of 1999 grew by 6.7 percent to $36.552 billion from $34.252 billion last year. Payments for imports increased by less than 1.0 percent to $17.899 billion from $17.845 billion a year ago. Revenues from exports posted a 13.7 percent increase to $18.654 billion this year from $16.407 billion in 1998. There was a positive balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) of $755 million.

For July 1999, total trade reached $5.642 billion, increasing by 13.6 percent over $4.967 billion last year. Aggregate receipts from exports amounted to $2.851 billion, up by 14.0 percent from $2.501 billion a year earlier while import bills reached $2.791 billi

External Trade Performance : October 2000

Total external trade in goods for January to October 2000 amounted to $57.746 billion which was 5.5 percent higher than $54.755 billion in 1999. Merchandise exports valued at $31.265 billion rose by 7.7 percent from $29.018 billion last year while total imports went up by 2.9 percent to $26.481 billion from $25.737 billion a year ago. Balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) for the period stood at a surplus of $4.784 billion.

External Trade Performance : August 1999

Total merchandise trade for the period January to August 1999 went up by 7.6 percent to $42.425 billion from $39.412 billion a year ago. Payment for imported merchandise inched up by 1.0 percent to $20.560 billion from $20.353 billion last year while receipts from export of goods grew by 14.7 percent to $21.865 billion from $19.059 billion a year earlier. (See Fig. 1A)Compared to the same period in 1998, the balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) was a surplus of $1.305 billion posting a 200.9 percent reversal from the previous deficit of $1.294 billion.

External Trade Performance : September 1999

The country's balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) surplus for the first three quarters of 1999 placed at $2.450 billion, posted a 354.4 percent reversal from a deficit level of $962.0 million while total trade grew by 9.0 percent to $48.667 billion from $44.652 billion a year earlier. Payments for imported merchandise went up by 1.3 percent to $23.108 billion from $22.807 billion while receipts from export of goods grew by 17.0 percent to $25.558 billion from $21.845 billion a year earlier (See Fig. 2A).

National Statistics Office

Imports