exports grow increase of 16.8% year-on-year

Thai export figure in June 2011 stood at 21 billion US dollars, an increase of 16.8% year-on-year while imports were worth 19.8 billion US dollars, rising by 26.1% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Outgoing Commerce Minister Pornthiva Nakasai concluded that Thailand last month enjoyed a trade surplus of 1.2 billion US dollars. Thai exports to Japan grew by 38% while exports to secondary markets like Russia, Canada and Africa also expanded continuously.

Total exports from January to June were valued at 114.9 billion US dollars, increasing by 23.6% year-on-year while imports were worth 111.5 billion US dollars, rising by 28.5%. The country had a trade surplus of 3.4 US dollars in the first half of this year.

The Ministry of Commerce has maintained the country’s export growth target for this year at 12-15% despite a number of risky factors, such as oil price hike, increasing prices of products and commodities, Thai baht appreciation, higher interest rates, labour shortages and other external economic factors.