PH TRADE DEFICIT LUMOBO, $3.76-B NOONG ENERO

LALO pang lumaki ang trade deficit ng bansa noong Enero sa pagbagsak ng exports at pagsipa ng imports, ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Sa datos ng PSA, ang exports noong ­Enero ay nasa $5.28 billion kumpara sa $9.03 billion na imports, na nagresulta sa deficit na $3.76 billion. Mas malaki ito sa $3.16 billion deficit na naitala sa kaparehong buwan noong 2018.

Ang January exports ay bumaba ng 1.7 percent sa total value na $5.28 billion, mula sa $5.37 billion sa kaha­lintulad na buwan noong 2018.

“This was due to the decreases in export sales of the five of the top 10 commodities, namely, electronic equipment and parts (-37.9 percent); metal components (-35.8 percent); gold (-33.3 percent); machinery and transport equipment (-24.2 percent); and other manufactured goods (-15.3 percent),” ayon sa PSA.

Samantala, ang total imported goods para sa buwan ay tumaas ng 5.8 percent sa $9.03 billion mula sa $8.54 billion noong January 2018.

“The increment was triggered by the positive growth in eight of the top 10 major import commodities,” sabi pa ng PSA.

Naitala ang paglago sa pag-import  ng cereals at cereal preparations (82.5 percent), transport equipment (33.6 percent), miscellaneous manufactured articles (15.8 percent) at plastics sa primary at non-primary forms (11.1 percent).

Naitala rin ang pagtaas sa importasyon ng telecommunication equipment at electrical machinery (7.3 percent), iba pang food at live animals (5.6 percent), industrial machinery at equipment (4.6 percent); at electronic products (4.1 percent).