Overseas Merchandise Trade: July 2010

For the month of July 2010, compared with July 2009:

• Merchandise exports were up $394 million (12 percent) to $3.6 billion.
• Milk powder, butter, and cheese led the increase in export commodities, followed by pleasure boats and pinus radiata-based commodities.
• Merchandise imports were up $402 million (12 percent) to $3.8 billion.
• Increases in petroleum and products, passenger cars, and fertiliser led the increase.
• The trade balance was a deficit of $186 million, or 5.2 percent of the value of exports. As for July 2009, the current deficit is much lower than the average July deficit for the five years before July 2009 – 24 percent of total exports .