SABAH

TRADE SUMMARY

JANUARY – OCTOBER 2003

 

1.            Balance of Trade

 

1.1       Sabah continued to enjoy a favourable trade balance with a surplus amounting to RM4,438.8 million during January to October 2003 as compared to RM2,909.1 million  during the corresponding period last year, an increase of RM1,529.7 million or 52.6%. This was resulted from the substantial increase in exports of RM2,959.6 million vis-ŕ-vis the lower increase in imports by RM1,429.9 million between the review periods. Significant increases were recorded in the exports of palm oil and crude petroleum.

 

 

2.           Exports

 

2.1       Sabah registered an export revenue of RM15,529.6 million during the first ten months of 2003 as compared to RM12,570.0 million for the corresponding period last year. The major export commodities during the current review period were palm oil, crude petroleum, plywood, palm kernel oil, sawn timber, methanol, hot briquetted iron and uncoated printing & writing paper which together amounted to RM12,063.3 million or 77.7% of total exports.

 

2.2       Palm oil was Sabah’s leading major export commodity valued at RM5,687.4 million contributed to 36.6% of the State’s total export earnings during the current review period, an increase of RM1,412.5 million from RM4,275.0 million of the previous period. The higher receipt  was jointly attributable to the higher f.o.b. export price from RM1,283.0 per tonne to RM1,528.3 per tonne coupled with the 11.7% increase in export volume from 3,332.0  thousand tonnes to 3,721.3 thousand tonnes. The People’s Republic of China (1,479.4 thousand tonnes), the Netherlands (629.3 thousand tonnes), India (431.2 thousand tonnes) and Pakistan (385.7 thousand tonnes) were the main buyers during the current review period.

 

 

2.3       Crude petroleum was the second important revenue earner recorded a higher receipt of RM3,400.4 million as against RM2,649.0 million during the two review periods. This increase was due to the better f.o.b. export price from RM657.9 per tonne to RM817.6 per tonne (+ RM159.7 per tonne). The quantity exported stood at 4,159 thousand tonnes. India, the Republic of Indonesia and Peninsular Malaysia together acquired 83.4% of Sabah’s crude petroleum.

 

 

2.4       Plywood generated revenue valued RM977.9 million as against RM972.8  million during the periods under review, an increase of RM5.1 million or 0.5%. The f.o.b. export price dropped by RM36.2 per cubic metre to RM1,043.5 per cubic metre but the volume exported on the other hand rose by 4.0% to  937.1 thousand cubic metres. The main importers for Sabah’s plywood during the first ten months of 2003 were Japan (226.8 thousand cubic metres), the U.S.A (166.2 thousand cubic metres), the Republic of Korea (160.0 thousand cubic metres) and Peninsular Malaysia (131.0 thousand cubic metres).

 

3.           Imports

 

3.1       Sabah’s imports increased from RM9,660.9 million to RM11,090.8 million during the periods under comparison, an increase of RM1,429.9 million or 14.8% resulting from the increased imports on machinery & transport equipment (+ RM623.0 million), chemicals & related products (+ RM152.2 million) and miscellaneous manufactured articles      (+ RM142.4 million).

 

 

3.2       Machinery and transport equipment, tops the list of import items, valued at RM3,838.7 million or 34.6% of total imports. Road vehicles (RM1,460.9 million), general industrial machinery and equipment, n.e.s. and machine parts n.e.s. (RM620.0 million), machines for particular industries (RM541.5 million) and electrical  machinery, apparatus & appliances, n.e.s. (RM364.6 million)  were the main component items imported.

 

 

3.3       Imports of manufactured goods amounted to RM1,499.1 million or 13.5% of total imports during the current review period. Iron and steel    (RM447.3 million), manufactures of metals n.e.s (RM306.3 million), non-metallic mineral manufactures (RM221.6 million) and rubber manufactures (RM168.1 million) were the main constituent items imported.

 

 

3.4       Sabah’s import bill on chemicals & related products amounted to RM1,273.0 million during the current review period which accounted for 11.5% of total imports. Manufactured fertilizers (RM399.8 million), chemicals & related products (RM189.3 million) and essential oils, resinoids & perfume materials, etc (RM185.7 million) were the major component items imported.

 

 4.    Direction of Trade

 

Sabah’s major trading partners during January-October, 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

December 10, 2003.

SABAH

 

Table 1- EXPORTS OF MAJOR COMMODITIES

                               (RM MILLION)

 

 

Quantity

Value

 

Unit of

January-October

Changes    in

January-October

Changes in

Major Commodities

Quantity

2002

2003

Quantity

2002

2003

Value

1.  Palm Oil ( Crude & Processed)

Tonnes

3,332,012

3,721,324

389,312

4,275.0

5,687.4

1,412.5

2.  Petroleum (Crude)

‘000 Tonnes

4,027

4,159

132

2,649.0

3,400.4

751.3

3.  Plywood

Cu. Metres

900,969

937,102

36,133

972.8

977.9

5.1

4.  Palm Kernel Oil

Tonnes

324,405

372,258

47,853

414.8

573.5

158.7

5.  Sawn Timber ( Incl. conifer)

‘000 Cu. Metres

416

414

-2

461.7

463.2

1.5

6.  Methanol

Tonnes

403,122

507,538

104,416

203.0

388.2

185.2

7.  Hot Briquetted Iron

Tonnes

610,611

656,742

46,131

259.8

354.4

94.5

8.  Uncoated Printing & Writing 

     Paper

Tonnes

121,036

94,265

-26,771

257.9

218.3

-39.7

9.  Prawns, fresh, frozen

Tonnes

7,524

6,675

-849

182.0

156.9

-25.2

10. Veneer Sheets

Cu. Metres

125,455

128,651

3,196

127.3

129.3

2.0

11.Cocoa Beans ( Raw & Roasted)

Tonnes

19,284

16,183

-3,101

95.5

102.0

6.6

12. Laminated Wood

Cu. Metres

101,899

98,886

-3,013

103.6

110.3

6.6

13. Rubber

Tonnes

22,049

28,817

6,768

57.3

96.6

39.4

14. Palm Kernel Cake

Tonnes

362,398

436,568

74,170

69.0

74.7

5.7

15. Moulded Woods

Cu. Metres

25,071

19,860.

-5,211

45.5

34.5

-11.0

Total Selected Major Exports

 

 

 

 

10,174.2

12,767.6

2,593.3

Other Exports

 

 

 

 

2,395.8

2,762.0

366.2

Total Exports

 

 

 

 

12,570.0

15,529.6

2,959.6

 

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

 

SABAH

 

Table 2 - IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTIONS (RM MILLION)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                (RM Million)

 

January-October

 

 

S.I.T.C. Commodity Sections

2002

2003

Changes in

% Change Over

 

Value

% of total

Value

% of total

Value

Corresponding Year

 

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)=(3)-(1)

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

0. Food

1,110.7

11.5

1,242.5

11.2

131.8

11.9

1. Beverages & tobacco

321.2

3.3

385.8

3.5

64.6

20.1

2. Crude materials, inedible except fuels

321.3

3.3

374.3

3.4

52.9

16.5

3. Mineral fuels, lubricants & related

    materials

1,021.9

10.6

1,158.6

10.4

136.8

13.4

4. Animal & vegetable oils & fats

56.3

0.6

72.3

0.7

16.0

28.5

5. Chemicals & related products

1,120.8

11.6

1,273.0

11.5

152.2

13.6

6. Manufactured goods classified chiefly

    by materials

1,382.5

14.3

1,499.1

13.5

116.5

8.4

7. Machinery & transport equipment

3,215.7

33.3

3,838.7

34.6

623.0

19.4

8. Misc. manufactured articles

881.3

9.1

1,023.7

9.2

142.4

16.2

9. Misc. transactions & commodities

229.3

2.4

222.9

2.0

-6.4

-2.8

TOTAL IMPORTS

9,660.9

100.0

11,090.8

100.0

1,429.9

14.8

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

SABAH

 

TABLE 3 - DIRECTION OF TRADE

(RM MILLION)

 

Imports

Exports

 

January-October

January-October

Country/

2002

2003

2002

2003

Country Groupings

Value

% of total

Value

% of total

Value

% of total

Value

% of total

1.   Rest of Malaysia :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      - Peninsular Malaysia

5,649.0

58.5

6,395.6

57.7

1,937.7

15.4

2,129.6

13.7

      - Sarawak

273.1

2.8

192.7

1.7

990.1

7.9

911.9

5.9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.   ASEAN :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      - Brunei Darussalam

1.1

x

3.8

x

104.0

0.8

226.1

1.5

      - Cambodia

1.3

x

4.6

0.0

-

-

0.3

0.2

      - Indonesia, Rep. Of

227.0

 

2.3

272.3

2.5

507.5

4.0

895.3

5.8

      - Laos, People’s Dem. Rep. of

-

-

+

x

5.3

x

+

x

      - Myanmar, Union of

4.9

0.1

10.5

0.1

0.6

x

2.8

x

      - Philippines

59.4

0.6

83.8

0.8

126.1

1.0

111.0

0.7

      - Singapore, Rep. Of

522.4

5.4

640.7

5.8

288.5

2.3

386.7

2.5

      - Thailand

123.1

1.3

133.0

1.2

137.5

1.1

246.2

1.6

      - Vietnam, Soc. Rep. Of

53.0

0.5

51.8

0.5

73.2

0.6

69.1

0.4

Total ASEAN

992.1

10.2

1,200.4

10.8

1,242.6

9.9

1,937.6

12.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.   Japan

416.1

4.3

480.2

4.3

915.1

7.3

879.2

5.7

4.   China, People’s Rep. Of

345.9

3.6

519.7

4.7

        1,839.9

14.6

2,711.4

17.5

5.   Taiwan

130.6

1.4

139.5

1.3

261.1

2.1

336.2

2.2

6.   Korea, Rep. of

53.2

0.6

99.6

0.9

1,094.8

8.7

647.9

4.2

7.   India

62.8

0.6

70.6

0.6

1,531.9

12.2

2,324.7

15.0

8.   European Union

415.3

4.3

414.0

3.7

1,092.2

8.7

1,564.6

10.1

9.   U.S.A.

787.3

8.1

972.2

8.8

433.1

3.4

510.2

3.3

10. Other Countries

535.5

5.5

606.4

5.5

1,231.4

9.8

1,576.3

10.2

Total

9,660.9

100.0

11,090.8

100.0

12,570.0

100.0

15,529.6

100.0

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