Dairy Exports Contribute Half Total Increase

Overseas Merchandise Trade (Exports): April 2005

Dairy Exports Contribute Half Total Increase

Dairy exports (milk powder, butter and cheese) contributed almost half of the total increase in the value of exports for April 2005, Statistics New Zealand said today. The value of these dairy exports for April 2005 was up 16.7 percent compared with April 2004. The total value of merchandise exports for April 2005 was $2,805 million, up 4.2 percent.

Saudi Arabia and Indonesia were the main export destinations that recorded higher values of exports for dairy products.

Major contributors to the other half of this month's higher exports value were aircraft and meat.

Partly offsetting these higher values were lower values for kiwifruit and apples.

The value of merchandise imports for the April 2005 month was $2,952 million, resulting in an updated trade deficit of $147 million, or 5.2 percent of exports. For this month and the previous two April months a trade deficit has been recorded. However, a trade surplus has been usual for an April month.

Brian Pink

Government Statistician

ENDS

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