The Department of Statistics and Research announces that it prepared foreign trade statistics in summary form for the month of January 1999.

The main developments in Cyprus foreign trade during January 1999 as compared with January 1998 were:

(a) Total imports (covering imports for home consumption and imports placed into bonded warehouses) totalled £125,5 mn as compared with £156,5 mn in January 1998.

(b) Total exports were £32,1 mn in relation to £53,9 mn in January 1998.

(c) As a result of the above developments the trade deficit accounted for £93,3 mn compared to£102,6 mn in January 1998.

(d) Imports for home consumption were £106,6 mn in January 1999 and £126,3mn in January 1998.

(e) The EU countries supplied Cyprus with goods valued at £72,6 mn or 57,9% of the total imports as compared with £76,6 mn or 49,0% during January 1998.

(f) Intermediate inputs imported for home consumption during January 1999 were £42,2 mn or 39,6% as against £54,1 mn or 42,9% in January 1998, followed by consumer goods with £24,0 mn or 22,6% as against £29,1 mn or 23,0%; transport equipment amounted to £19,6 mn or 18,4% compared to £16,0 mn or 12,7%. and capital goods accounted for £15,9 mn or 14,9% as compared with £15,4 mn or 12,2% in January 1998.

(g) Domestic exports including shipstores, fell to £12,9 mn in January 1999 from £18,0 mn in January 1998 whilst re-exports, including shipstores, amounted to £19,2 mn compared to £35,9 mn in January 1998.

(h) The EU countries absorbed 54,2% or £6,9 mn of Cyprus domestic exports (excluding shipstores) as compared with £10,8 mn or 61,3% in January 1998, followed by the Arab countries with a share of 27,7% or £3,5 mn as compared with 20,6% or £3,6 mn in January 1998.

(i) Industrial products of domestic produce exported during January 1999, excluding shipstores, accounted for 82,4% or £10,4 mn as compared with 64,6% or ?11,4 mn, during Janaury 1998, with clothing and footwear accounting for £1,7 mn and £0,5 mn respectively, whilst exports of clothing during January 1998 totalled £2,1 mn and of footwear £0,6 mn. Exports of raw agricultural products dropped to £2,1 mn in January 1999 from £6,2 mn in Janaury 1998, with potatoes accounting for £0,3 mn compared to £3,0 mn and citrus fruit for £1,2 mn and £2,3 mn in January 1999 and 1998 respectively.

Additional data on Cyprus foreign trade are shown in the quarterly publication entitled "Imports-Exports Statistics" obtainable from the Government Printing Office while more detailed statistics on the same field are available from the Department of Statistics and Research.