CBS: trade deficit in May totaled US$0.6 billion

The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported last week that in May 2010, import of goods totaled US$4.8 billion, export of goods totaled US$4.2 billion and the trade deficit totaled US$0.6 billion.
 
In May 2010, manufacturing exports (excluding diamonds) constituted 77% of all export of goods. Export of diamonds constituted 20%, and the remaining 3% was agricultural exports.
 
Distribution of manufacturing exports by technological intensity (excluding diamonds), indicates that high technology industries (47% of total manufacture exports) totaled US$1.5B in May 2010. Trend data of exports by high technology industries points to a rise of 11.6%, at an annual rate. Breakdown by economic activity points to a rise of 70.0% in exports of pharmaceutical products.
 
Exports of medium-high technology industries (31% of total manufacture exports) totaled US$1.0B in May 2010. Trend data of exports by medium-high technology industries point to a drop of 8.9%, at an annual rate, in March-May.
 
Exports by medium-low technology industries (17% of all manufacture exports) totaled US$0.5B in May 2010. Trend data of exports by medium-low technology industries point to a drop of 3.4%, at an annual rate, in the last three months. Breakdown by economic activity points to a drop of 9.6% in exports of mining and quarrying.
 
Exports by low technology industries (5% of all manufacture exports) totaled US$0.2B in May 2010. Trend data of exports by low technology industries point to a rise of 16.7% at an annual rate, in March-May 2010. Breakdown by economic activity points to a rise of 13.5% in exports of paper, printing, wood and furniture products.
Export of diamonds (polished and rough) in January-May 2010 totaled US$3.9B (US$2.0B in January-May 2009).
 
Agricultural exports in January-May 2010 totaled US$816M (temporary data). Exports of fruits rose by 36.1% at the same period.
 
Import of goods, in current prices in U.S. dollars, totaled US$4.8B. A breakdown of the data of import by use indicates that in May 2010, 39% of total imports were import of raw materials (excluding diamonds and fuels); 15% was machinery, equipment and land vehicles for investment, 14% was consumer goods; and the rest diamonds, fuels and ships and aircraft.
 
Import of raw materials (excluding diamonds and fuels) in May 2010 totaled US$1.9B. Trend data reveals that in March -May, import of raw materials point to a rise of 16.4% at an annual rate. A breakdown by groups of import of raw materials in the last three months, points to a rise of 30.3% in the import of chemicals.
 
Import of investment goods (excluding ships and aircraft) in May 2010 totaled US$0.7B. In March-May, import of investment goods rose by an annual rate of 16.3%. A breakdown by groups points that import of machinery and equipment point to a rise of 15.9% in the last three months.
 
Import of consumer goods in May 2010 totaled US$0.7B. Trend data indicates that in the last three months, import of consumer goods rise by an annual rate of 12.6%. Import of non-durable goods rose, by an annual rate of 6.6% during the last three months. Most of the rise was recorded in import of household utensils (21.0%). Import of durable goods rose by an annual rate of 17.6%.
 
Import of diamonds (rough and polished) in February-May 2010 totaled US$3.0B. During the same months in 2009 the import of diamonds totaled US$1.3B.
Import of fuels (crude oil, distillates and coal) in February-May 2010 totaled US$4.4B a rise of 48.7% comparing to the same months of the previous year.