|
By Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter
SALES of Philippine-made goods recovered in
April despite weak electronics shipments, the National Statistics
Office (NSO) said.
The NSO said export earnings that month grew 4.9
percent to $4.325 billion, a turnaround from the 6.6-percent
contraction on March.
The April shipments allowed exports in the first
four months this year to inch up by 3.3 percent to $16.86 billion.
Year-to-date growth however was slower than the government’s
target of 6 percent for the full year.
Electronics, which accounted for 58.2 percent of
the total dollar receipts, dropped 1.7 percent to $2.519 billion on
April, from $2.563 billion in the same month last year.
Dollar receipts from this commodity group
however increased by 2.9 percent from the previous month.
Articles of apparel and clothing accessories
remain the country’s second top dollar earner with $153.58
million; followed by coconut oil, $147.97 million; and cathodes and
sections of cathodes of refined copper, $99.41 million.
Exports of petroleum products rose 3.3 percent
to $94.09 million.
Rounding up the list of the top ten exports for
the month were woodcrafts and furniture valued at $92.67 million;
ignition wiring set and other wiring sets used in vehicles,
aircrafts and ships, $72.93 million; other products manufactured
from materials imported on consignment basis, $59.56 million; gold,
$42.87 million; and metal components, $42.83 million.
Receipts from the top ten exports reached $3.325
billion, or 76.9 percent of the total exports.
The US was the Philippines’ biggest market in
April with export receipts of $691.34 million, or an increase of 8.7
percent from $635.83 million last year.
Japan followed with purchases of $664.50
million. People’s Republic of China trailed with $520.64-million
worth of purchases from the Philippines.
Other top ten markets for April were Hong Kong,
$388.28 million; Republic of Korea, $365.63 million; the
Netherlands, $323.26 million; Singapore, $205.39 million; Germany,
$197.56 million; Malaysia, $171.38 million; and Taiwan, $137.48
million.
Receipts from the Philippines’ top ten markets
amounted to $3.665 billion or 84.8 percent of the total.
|
