The Department of Statistics and Research announces that it prepared foreign trade statistics in summary form for the period January-November 1997.

The main developments in Cyprus foreign trade during January-November 1997 as compared with the corresponding period of 1996 were:

(a) Total imports (covering imports for home consumption and imports placed into bonded warehouses) totalled £1.743,5 mn as compared with £1.718,9 mn during January-November 1996,

(b) Total exports were £593,2 mn in relation to £605,1 mn in January-November 1996,

(c) As a result of the above developments the trade deficit amounted to £1.150,3 mn compared to £1.113,9 mn in January-November 1996,

(d) Imports for home consumption were £1.363,1 mn in January-November 1997 and £1.351,8 mn in the same period of 1996.

(e) The EU countries supplied Cyprus with goods valued at £824,5 mn or 47,3% of the total imports as compared with £830,1 mn or 48,3% during January-November 1996.

(f) Intermediate inputs imported for home consumption during January-November 1997 were £520,2 mn or 38,2% as against £539,7 mn or 39,9% in January-November 1996, followed by consumer goods with £335,3 mn or 24,6% as against £295,0 mn or 21,8%; capital goods accounted for £148,0 mn or 10,9% as compared with £147,0 mn or 10,9% in January-November 1996 and transport equipment amounted to £136,7 mn or 10,0% compared to £150,7 mn or 11,2%.

(g) Domestic exports including shipstores, fell to £199,2 mn in January-November 1997 from £213,3 mn in January-November 1996 whilst re-exports including shipstores, amounted to £394,0 mn compared to £391,8 mn in January-November 1996.

(h) The EU countries absorbed £95,7 mn or 49,5% of Cyprus domestic exports (excluding shipstores), followed by the Arab countries with £55,1mn or 28,5%, The corresponding shares of the EU countries and the Arab countries for January-November 1996 were 57,9% and 19,4% respectively.

(i) Industrial products of domestic produce exported during January-November 1997 (excluding shipstores) accounted for 83,1% or £160,7 mn as compared with 75,3% or £155,7 mn, during the corresponding period of 1996, with clothing and footwear accounting for £27,7 mn and £6,8 mn respectively, whilst exports of clothing during January-November 1996 totalled £35,7 mn and of footwear £4,7 mn, Exports of agricultural products dropped sharply to £31,6 mn in January-November 1997 from £50,3 mn in January-November 1996, with potatoes accounting for £7,3 mn compared to £27,0mn and citrus fruit for £15,6 mn and £16,4 mn in January-November, 1996 and 1997 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.