The Department of Statistics and Research announces that it prepared foreign trade statistics in summary form for the period January-September 1998.

The main developments in Cyprus foreign trade during January-September 1998 as compared with January-September 1997 were:

(a) Total imports (covering imports for home consumption and imports placed into bonded warehouses) valued at £1.406,3 mn as compared with £1.419,3 mn in January-September 1997.

(b) Total exports decreased to £438,4 mn in relation to £486,6 mn in January-September 1997.

(c) As a result of the above developments the trade deficit totalled £967,9 mn compared to £932,6 mn in January-September 1997.

(d) Imports for home consumption were £1.159,6 mn in January-September 1998 and £1.111,0 mn in January-September 1997.

(e) The EU countries supplied goods valued at £754,0 mn or 53,6% of the total imports as compared with £656,9 mn or 46,3% during January-September 1997.

(f) Intermediate inputs imported for home consumption during January-September 1998 were £456,2 mn or 39,3% as against £422,8 mn or 38,1% in January-September 1997, followed by consumer goods with £324,3 mn or 28,0% as against £262,9 mn or 23,7%; capital goods accounted for £149,6 mn or 12,9% as compared with £118,9 mn or 10,7% in January-September 1997 and transport equipment amounted to £134,8 mn or 11,6% compared to £113,1 mn or 10,2%.

(g) Domestic exports including shipstores, reached £173,6 mn in January-September 1998 in relation to £165,1 mn in January-September 1997, whilst re-exports including shipstores decreased sharply to £264,8 mn compared to £321,6 mn in January-September 1997.

(h) The EU countries absorbed 54,3% or £90,5 mn of Cyprus domestic exports (excluding shipstores), followed by the Arab countries with a share of 25,7% or £42,8 mn. The corresponding shares of the EU countries and the Arab countries for January-September 1997 were 50,4% and 27,5% respectively.

(i) Industrial products of domestic produce exported during January-September of 1998 (excluding shipstores) accounted for 77,7% or £129,6 mn as compared with 80,5% or £129,1 mn, during the corresponding period of 1997, with clothing and footwear accounting for £21,9 mn and £6,6 mn respectively, whilst exports of clothing during January-September 1997 totalled £21,4 mn and of footwear £5,1 mn. Exports of agricultural products increased by 19,1% to £36,2 mn as compared with £30,4 mn in January-September 1997 with the potatoes exported for the period January-September 1998 having been revised to account for £18,6 mn compared to £8,0 mn and citrus fruit for £10,9 mn and £14,5 mn in January-September 1998 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.