M'SIA POSTS RM11.97 BLN TRADE SURPLUS IN FEBRUARY

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia recorded trade surplus of
RM11.97 billion (US$1=RM3.58) in February, making it the 136th consecutive month
of trade surplus since November 1997, but total volume declined 21 per cent from
a year ago.

Total trade value for the month was RM67.2 billion, the International Trade
and Industry Ministry said in the Monthly External Trade Statistics report
released Friday.

Exports in February were valued at RM39.59 billion, up 3.4 per cent from
January, mainly attributed to higher exports of electrical and
electronic products, refined petroleum products, machinery, appliances and parts
as well as chemicals and chemical products.

Imports fell 8.4 per cent to RM27.62 billion from January.

On a year-on-year basis, exports in February declined 15.9 per cent compared
to February, while imports declined by 27.3 per cent.

Between January and February, total trade amounted to RM135.64 billion, down
25.2 per cent from the same period last year.

Exports fell 22.2 per cent to RM77.86 per cent while imports contracted by
28.9 per cent to RM57.78 billion, resulting a trade surplus of RM20.08 billion.

Major export products were electrical and electronic products worth RM14.65
billion or 37 per cent of total exports, liquefied natural gas (RM3.87 billion
or 9.8 per cent of total exports), palm oil (RM2.61 billion or 6.6 per cent of
total exports), chemical and chemical products (RM2.34 billion or 5.9
per cent of total exports) and refined petroleum products (RM1.79 billion or 4.5
per cent of total exports), it said.

Machinery, appliances and parts (RM1.58 billion or four per cent of total
exports), crude petroleum (RM1.51 billion or 3.8 per cent),
manufactures of metal (RM983.5 million or 2.5 per cent), wood products (RM956.8
million or 2.4 per cent) and rubber products (RM900 million or 2.3 per cent).

Singapore, Japan, the United States, China and Thailand were the top five
export destinations, accounting for 52 per cent of Malaysia's total exports in
February.

Exports to Asean were RM9.89 billion or 25 per cent of Malaysia's total
exports in February, a drop of 20.7 per cent from February last year.

The fall was due to lower exports of electrical and electronic products,
crude petroleum, chemical and chemical products and manufactures of metal.

Total imports in February declined by 27.3 per cent to RM27.62 billion
from a year ago, caused mainly by the decline in imports of intermediate goods.

The three main import categories were intermediate goods valued at RM18.61
billion or 67.4 per cent of total imports, capital goods (RM4.38 billion or 15.8
per cent of total imports) and consumption goods (RM2.06 billion or 7.5 per cent
of total imports).

Top 10 import sources were China, Japan, the United States, Singapore,
Thailand, Indonesia, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and India.

Total imports from Asean totalled RM6.77 billion or 24.5 per cent of
Malaysia's total imports.

-- BERNAMA