SABAH

TRADE SUMMARY

JANUARY – DECEMBER 2003

 

1.            Balance of Trade

 

1.1       Sabah continued to register a favorable trade balance with a surplus amounting to RM5,684.8 million during the year 2003 as compared to RM3,571.2 million in 2002, an  increase of RM2,113.6 million or 59.2%. This was due to the substantial increase in exports of RM3,609.8 million vis-a-vis the lower increase in imports by RM1,496.2 million between the review periods. Significant increases were recorded in the exports of palm oil and crude petroleum which together amounted to RM2,476.8 million.

 

2.           Exports

 

2.1       Sabah’s total export revenue amounted to RM19,050.8 million during the year 2003 as compared to RM15,441.0 million for the corresponding period last year. Palm oil, crude petroleum, plywood, palm kernel oil, sawn timber, methanol, hot briquetted iron and uncoated printing & writing paper were the main export commodities during the current review period which together amounted to RM14,488.7 million or 76.1% of total exports.

 

2.2       Palm oil retained its position as Sabah’s leading major export commodity

during the year 2003 with revenue amounting to RM6,939.4 million and contributed to 36.4% of the State’s  total export earnings, an increase of RM1,538.6 million as against RM5,400.8 million of the previous period. This higher receipt was jointly attributable to the increased f.o.b. export price from RM1,325.8 per tonne to RM1,557.8 per tonne coupled with the higher export volume from 4,073.5 thousand tonnes to 4,454.7 thousand tonnes. The People’s Republic of China (1,814.3 thousand tonnes), the Netherlands (736.4 thousand tonnes), India (508.1 thousand tonnes) and Pakistan (424.6 thousand tonnes) were the main buyers during the current review period.

 

2.3        Crude petroleum was the second important revenue earner and collected a   higher receipt of RM4,175.8 million as against RM3,237.6 million during the two review periods. This increase was resulted from the better f.o.b. export price from RM674.3 per tonne to RM827.6 per tonne. (+RM153.3 per tonne). The volume exported stood at 5,046 thousand tonnes during the current reference period. India, the Republic of Indonesia and Peninsular Malaysia together acquired 83.4% of Sabah’s crude petroleum.

       

 

2.4       Sabah’s plywood generated revenue valued at RM1,193.7 million as against RM1,145.1 million  during the periods under review, representing a marginal  4.2% increase (+ RM48.6 million). This was solely attributable to the higher volume exported by 89.3 thousand cubic metres. The f.o.b. unit value on the other hand, declined by 3.7% to 1,042.4 thousand cubic metres. The main importers for Sabah’s plywood during the year 2003 were Japan (280.3 thousand cubic metres), the U.S.A. (212.5 thousand cubic metres), the Republic of Korea (200.4 thousand cubic metres), and Peninsular Malaysia (148.1 thousand cubic metres).

 

3.           Imports

 

3.1       Sabah’s imports increased from RM11,869.8 million to RM13,366.0 million during the periods under comparison, an increase of RM1,496.2 million or 12.6%. Higher imports were observed on machinery & transport equipment (+ RM681.7 million), food (+ RM190.3 million) and chemicals & related products (+ RM177.3 million)

 

3.2       Machinery and transport equipment tops the list of import items, valued at RM4,620.7 million or 34.6% of total imports. Road vehicles (RM1,730.5 million), general industrial machinery and equipment, n.e.s. and machine parts n.e.s. (RM710.2 million), machinery for particular industries (RM730.2 million) and electrical machinery, apparatus & appliances, n.e.s. (RM438.5 million) were the main component items imported.

 

3.3       Imports of manufactured goods valued at RM1,795.9 million contributed to 13.4% of total imports during the current review period. Iron and steel (RM577.8 million), manufactures of metal n.e.s (RM361.4 million), non-metallic mineral manufactures (RM264.8 million) and rubber manufactures (RM203.8 million) were the main constituent items imported.

 

3.4       Sabah’s import bill on food amounted to RM1,524.8 million during the current review period which accounted for 11.4% of total imports. Cereals & cereal preparations (RM432.6 million), misc. edible products & preparations (RM265.2 million), coffee, tea, cocoa, spices & manufactures thereof (RM142.2 million) and dairy products & birds’ eggs (RM137.1 million) were the principal component items imported.

 

 

 4.    Direction of Trade

 

Sabah’s major trading partners during January-December, 2003 were Peninsular Malaysia, the People’s Republic Of China, ASEAN, India, the European Union, U.S.A., Japan, Sarawak, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan in that order of importance.

                 

 

 

Department of Statistics Malaysia,

(Sabah Branch), Kota Kinabalu

February 10, 2004.


 

SABAH

 

Table 1- EXPORTS OF MAJOR COMMODITIES

                               (RM MILLION)

 

 

Quantity

Value

 

Unit of

January-December

Changes

January-December

Changes in

Major Commodities

Quantity

2002

2003

in Quantity

2002

2003

Value

1.  Palm Oil ( Crude &

     Processed)

Tonnes

4,073,481

4,454,727

381,246

5,400.8

6,939.4

1,538.6

2.  Petroleum (Crude)

‘000 Tonnes

4,801

5,046

245

3,237.6

4,175.8

938.2

3.  Plywood

Cu. Metres

1,087,677

1,176,962

89,285

1,145.1

1,193.7

48.6

4.  Palm Kernel Oil

Tonnes

399,619

453,103

53,484

528.6

714.4

185.8

5.  Sawn Timber (Incl.

     conifer)

‘000 Cu. Metres

493

502

9

548.8

567.3

18.4

6.  Methanol

Tonnes

476,852

614,464

137,612

248.2

467.5

219.2

7.  Hot Briquetted Iron

Tonnes

761,202

770,856

9,654

327.0

430.6

103.6

8.  Uncoated Printing &

     Writing  Paper

Tonnes

138,190

113,992

-24,198

298.4

264.3

-34.1

9.  Prawns, fresh, frozen

Tonnes

8,627

7,738

-889

211.6

181.1

-30.5

10. Veneer Sheets

Cu. Metres

150,439

149,838

-601

153.2

149.8

-3.4

11.Cocoa Beans ( Raw &

     Roasted)

Tonnes

25,664

19,230

-6,434

135.2

118.0

-17.3

12. Laminated Wood

Cu. Metres

121,012

120,467

-545

126.0

134.2

8.2

13. Rubber

Tonnes

25,817

34,876

9,059

68.7

121.4

52.7

14. Palm Kernel Cake

Tonnes

413,704

509,447

95,743

78.8

92.3

13.6

15. Moulded Woods

Cu. Metres

29,311

25,450

-3,861

52.5

44.1

-8.4

Total Selected Major Exports

 

 

 

 

12,560.6

15,593.9

3,033.3

Other Exports

 

 

 

 

2,880.4

3,456.9

576.5

Total Exports

 

 

 

 

15,441.0

19,050.8

3,609.8

 

Notes: Figures may not add up to totals due to rounding.

 


 

SABAH

 

Table 2 - IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTIONS (RM MILLION)

                                                                                                                                                            (RM Million)

S.I.T.C. Commodity Sections

January-December

Changes in Value

% Change Over Corresponding Year

2002

2003

Value

% of total

Value

% of total

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)=(3)-(1)

(6)=(5)/(1)x100

0. Food

1,334.5

11.2

1,524.8

11.4

190.3

14.3

1. Beverages & tobacco

399.7

3.4

462.7

3.5

63.0

15.8

2. Crude materials, inedible

    except fuels

381.8

3.2

454.4

3.4

72.6

19.0

3. Mineral fuels, lubricants &

    related materials

1,229.5

10.4

1,395.9

10.4

166.4

13.5

4. Animal & vegetable oils &

    fats

68.3

0.6

81.4

0.6

13.1

19.2

5. Chemicals & related products

1,338.6

11.3

1,515.9

11.3

177.3

13.2

6. Manufactured goods

    classified chiefly by materials

1,706.6

14.4

1,795.9

13.4

89.3

5.2

7. Machinery & transport

    equipment

3,938.9

33.2

4,620.7

34.6

681.7

17.3

8. Misc. manufactured articles

1,198.1

10.1

1,251.5

9.4

53.5

4.5

9. Misc. transactions &

    commodities

273.8

2.3

262.7

2.0

-11.0

-4.0

TOTAL IMPORTS

11,869.8

100.0

13,366.0

100.0

1,496.2

12.6

Note : Figures may not add up to totals due to rounding.


 

SABAH

 

TABLE 3 - DIRECTION OF TRADE

     (RM MILLION)

Country/Country Groupings

Imports

Exports

January-December

January-December

2002

2003

2002

2003

Value

% of total

Value

% of total

Value

% of total

Value

% of total

1.   Rest of Malaysia :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      - Peninsular Malaysia

6,862.2

57.8

7,765.8

58.1

2,389.5

15.5

2,647.1

13.9

      - Sarawak

318.2

2.7

226.7

1.7

1,125.6

7.3

1,200.7

6.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.   ASEAN :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      - Brunei Darussalam

1.3

x

4.1

x

132.6

0.9

279.6

1.5

      - Cambodia

4.1

x

4.6

0.0

0.7

-

0.2

0.2

      - Indonesia, Rep. Of

262.3

2.2

326.2

2.4

653.2

4.2

1,079.7

5.7

      - Laos, People’s Dem. Rep. of

-

-

+

x

5.3

x

+

x

      - Myanmar, Union of

5.7

0.0

11.7

0.1

0.9

x

2.8

x

      - Philippines

75.8

0.6

99.6

0.7

151.4

1.0

128.6

0.7

      - Singapore, Rep. Of

627.1

5.3

684.0

5.1

376.5

2.4

484.6

2.5

      - Thailand

143.4

1.2

165.3

1.2

166.4

1.1

286.2

1.5

      - Vietnam, Soc. Rep. Of

60.4

0.5

64.0

0.5

84.6

0.5

117.3

0.6

Total ASEAN

1,180.1

9.9

1,359.4

10.1

1,571.5

10.2

2,378.9

12.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.   Japan

588.1

5.0

564.6

4.2

1,105.4

7.2

1,099.4

5.8

4.   China, People’s Rep. Of

450.1

3.8

636.0

4.8

2,315.2

15.0

3,374.2

17.7

5.   Taiwan

184.3

1.6

165.7

1.2

        319.4

2.1

390.8

2.1

6.   Korea, Rep. of

71.3

0.6

117.9

0.9

1,278.6

8.3

844.6

4.4

7.   India

75.8

0.6

103.2

0.8

1,944.9

12.6

2,801.4

14.7

8.   European Union

501.1

4.2

499.0

3.7

1,419.5

9.2

1,879.0

9.9

9.   U.S.A.

975.1

8.2

1,195.6

8.9

520.5

3.4

652.9

3.4

10. Other Countries

663.4

5.6

731.6

5.5

1,448.2

9.4

1,779.8

9.3

Total

11,869.8

100.0

13,365.5

100.0

15,438.4

100.0

19,048.9

100.0

Note: Figures may not add up to totals due to rounding.                                    x   -  Less than 0.05%                      +  - Less than RM0.05 Million