KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia recorded a trade surplus of RM6billion in April, an increase of 5.1 percent from the previous month.

However, the trade surplus was lower by 11.7 percent (-RM791 million) fromRM6.7 billion in the corresponding month of 2003 due to a higher increasein import growth of 32.4 percent (+8.3 billion) compared to exports, whichexpanded by 23.2 percent (+7.5 billion), said the Department of Statisticsin a statement here Tuesday.

It said that total exports and imports for April were valued at RM33.7billion and RM39.7 billion, respectively as against RM25.5 billion(imports) and RM32.2 billion (exports) a year earlier.

Electrical and electronic products were the largest exports revenueearner, accounting for 49.4 percent of total exports, it said.

Imports of capital goods rose 19.1 percent (+RM682 million) while importsof intermediate goods surged 28.7 percent (+RM5.3 billion) as compared tothe corresponding month in 2003.

The department said that in the first four months of 2004, Malaysia posteda trade surplus of RM22.5 billion as against RM26.9 billion in the sameperiod of 2003.

Total exports increased by 16.7 percent to RM144.9 billion while importsexpanded by 25.9 percent to RM122.4 billion, it added.

Electrical and electronic products continued to be Malaysia's largestexport earner, accounting for RM71.3 billion or RM49.3 billion of totalexports for the January - April 2004 period.

The second largest export revenue earner, palm oil and palm oil-basedproducts, recorded a combined value of RM9.1 billion, representing 6.3percent of total exports, it said.

It said that palm oil, the major component (70.2 percent) in thiscategory, increased by 9.3 percent or RM542 million to RM6.4 billion dueto firmer export unit value (+2.1 percent or +RM34.5 per tonne) as well ashigh export volume (+7.0 percent or +250,000 tonnes).

Crude petroleum, the third largest export commodity, which accounted forRM6.1 billion or 4.2 percent of total exports, increased by 16.6 percentor RM866 million for the four months.

Timber and timber-based products, the fourth largest export earner withvalue at RM5.8 billion, rose 15.3 percent, while liquefied natural gas,the fifth largest export commodity, valued at RM5.4 billion, increased by19.5 percent.

Petroleum products, the sixth largest export commodity, increased 18.9percent to RM3.5 billion.

Malaysia's total imports for January-April 2004 was RM122.4 billion, anincrease of 25.9 percent or RM25.2 billion as compared with that of RM97.2billion in the corresponding period of 2003.

Under the three major categories of imports, intermediate goods increased24.3 percent to RM87.7 billion or 71.7 percent of total imports, whilecapital goods rose 22.2 percent to RM16.5 billion or 13.5 percent of totalimports and consumption goods increased 17.6 percent to RM7.0 billion or5.7 percent of the total.

On the direction of trade, the department said that the US, Japan,Singapore and China remained as Malaysia's major trading partners.

These countries collectively contribued 51.2 percent of Malaysia's totaltrade in January-April 2004.

-- BERNAMA --