April goods exports up from 2013

April goods exports up from 2013

26 May 2014

Goods exports rose to $4.5 billion in April 2014, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is an increase of $553 million since April 2013.

Milk powder, butter, and cheese led the increase in exports, with the value up over one-third, to $1.2 billion, compared with April 2013. Quantities showed little change, up 1.6 percent. Milk powder, anhydrous milk fat, and butter showed the largest rises.

“Large price-driven increases in values this dairy season, compared with last, led to record total export values,” international statistics manager Jason Attewell said. “However, April 2014 is the first month since August 2013 where the export value was not a record for the month.”

Seasonally adjusted exports fell 6.5 percent in April 2014 compared with March 2014. This was led by a decrease in milk powder, butter, and cheese exports, following large increases in late 2013.

The value of imported goods rose $190 million (5.0 percent) to $4.0 billion, compared with April 2013. Capital goods led the rise, up $117 million. Like exports, imports are up when compared with the same period last year. However, after adjusting for seasonality, they have fallen 5.0 percent since March 2014.

The trade balance for April was a surplus of $534 million (12 percent of exports). This compares with an average surplus of 13 percent of exports over the previous five April months.

Overseas merchandise trade statistics remain provisional for the first three months after data is first released. For more information, see Why overseas merchandise trade data can change on the Statistics NZ website.

For more information about these statistics: Visit Overseas Merchandise Trade: April 2014

ENDS

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