PH TRADE DEFICIT LUMIIT SA $3.39-B NOONG HULYO

PATULOY sa pagliit ang trade gap ng bansa noong Hulyo sa pagtaas ng export sales habang bumaba ang imports sa nasabing panahon, ayon  sa Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Sa datos ng PSA, ang balance of trade in goods (BoT-G) ay bumaba sa $3.39 billion noong Hulyo mula sa $4.02-billion deficit na naitala sa kaparehong panahon noong 2018.

Gayunman ay mas malaki ito sa $2.47-billion deficit na iniulat noong Hunyo.

“A deficit indicates that the value of a country’s imports exceeded the export receipts, while a surplus indicates more export shipments than imports,” ayon sa PSA.

Sa exports ay naitala ang 3.5%  pagtaas sa $6.17 billion laban sa $5.97 billion sa kahalintulad na panahon noong nakaraang ta-on.

“This was due to the increases in export sales of eight of the top 10 major export commodities,” pahayag ng PSA.

Kinabibilangan ito ng gold (81.8%), fresh bananas (34.6%), machinery and transport equipment (23.9%), at electronic equip-ment and parts (18.9%).

Naitala rin ang pagtaas sa ignition wiring sets at iba pang wiring sets (17.6%), other mineral products (7.9%), other manufac-tured products (5.7%), at electronic products (2.9%).

“Philippine exports remained resilient during the second quarter of 2019 despite the continuing external challenges such trade tensions between the US and China, the bleak outlook in Europe, and the uncertainty of the future of Brexit,” wika ni Socioeconom-ic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

Samantala, bumaba ang imports ng 4.2% sa $9.57 billion mula sa $9.98 billion noong Hulyo 2018.

Paliwanag ng PSA, ang pagbaba ay bunga ng decrements sa siyam sa top 10 major import commodities.

Ang pagbaba ay naitala sa iron and steel (-35.8%); mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (-14.5%); transport equipment (-12.0%); telecommunication equipment and electrical machinery (-2.4%); at industrial machinery and equipment (-1.5%)

“The country’s manufacturing sector is expected to sustain its growth despite the overall decline in global manufacturing,” ani Pernia.

“We are optimistic as we see a reduction of global oil prices, the recent cuts in electricity rates, and the lower import costs due to the appreciation of the peso,” dagdag pa niya.