KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s export and import unit value indices continued to record positive growth in April 2021, growing by 1.7% and 0.8% month-on-month (m-o-m), respectively.
Statistics Department chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth in the export unit value index was reflected by the increases in the index of animal and vegetable oils and fats (+6.1%), mineral fuels (+4.7%), and machinery and transport equipment (+0.6%).
“On the other hand, the export volume index recorded a decline of 1.1% in the same month.
“This was attributed to the decreases in the index of chemicals (-12.5%), machinery and transport equipment (-7.2%), and manufactured goods (-6.0%),” he said in a statement on the release of the External Trade Indices for April 2021 report today.
Uzir said the seasonally adjusted export volume index registered a marginal increase to 163.6 points from 162.2 points previously.
“Compared with the previous year, both the export unit value and volume indices rose 5.8% and 54%, respectively,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uzir attributed the growth in the import unit value index in April 2021 to the increase in the index of mineral fuels (+2.8%), inedible crude materials (+2.4%), and manufactured goods (+0.7%).
The import volume index grew 4.6% m-o-m in April 2021, contributed to by the expansion in the index of mineral fuels (+57.5%), miscellaneous manufactured articles (+6.4%), and manufactured goods (+5.2%),
“The seasonally adjusted import volume index in April 2021 expanded 2.2% to 166.0 points from 162.4 points,” he said.
On a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, he noted that both the import unit value and volume indices expanded 1.5% and 22.6%, respectively.
The department also reported that Malaysia’s terms of trade rose 0.9% m-o-m to 103.7 points in April 2021, while y-o-y it rose by 4.3%. – Bernama, June 4, 2021
