KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s April 2016 exports rose 1.6% to RM61.3bil from a year ago, which was a disappointment when compared with a survey of a 2% increase.
The Statistics Department said on the country’s imports fell 2.3% , or RM1.2bil to RM52.3bil from RM53.5bil a year ago, which was below economists’ expectations of a 0.1% increase.
Total trade in April 2016 valued at RM113.6bil decreased RM258.8mil or 0.2% from the year before. It also posted a drop of 6.8% or RM8.3bil, month-on-month.
On a year-on-year (yoy) basis, the trade surplus increased 31.9% or RM2.2bil to RM9.1bil. However, on a month-on-month basis it declined 19.1% from RM11.2bil.
The Statistics Department said exports increased due to the rise in exports to Singapore (+RM1.2bil), the US (+RM697mil), Vietnam (+RM651.3mil), Taiwan (+RM283.4mil) and Bangladesh (+RM253mil).
The department said the higher exports were due to refined petroleum products, electrical and electronic (E&E) products, palm oil and palm-based products and natural rubber.
However, it said the decline were recorded in liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude petroleum and timber and timber-based products.
On a y-o-y basis, imports decreased 2.3% from RM53.5bil. The decline in imports was mainly attributed to intermediate goods and capital goods.
Intermediate goods which constituted 56.8% of total imports dropped RM2.2bil to RM29.7bil. The decrease were mainly attributed fuel and lubricants, primary (-RM833.3mil, -48.9%), fuel and lubricants, processed, others (-RM786.8mil, -54.2%) and industrial supplies, processed (-RM313.3mil, -2.6%).
Imports of capital goods, which accounted for 13.4% of total imports, decreased marginally by RM1.6mil to RM7bil due to the decline in capital goods (except for transport equipment) (-RM397.1mil, -6%). However, transport equipment, industrial increased RM395.5mil or 101.0%.
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