SABAH

TRADE SUMMARY

JANUARY – JULY 2003

 

1.            Balance of Trade

 

1.1       Sabah continued to enjoy a favorable trade balance with a surplus amounting to RM2,984.8 million during January to July 2003 as compared to RM1,732.5 million during the corresponding period last year, an increase of RM1,252.3 million or 72.3%. This was resulted from the substantial increase in exports of RM2,076.4 million vis-à-vis the lower increase in imports by RM824.1 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 valued at RM10,377.0 million during  the first seven months of 2003 as compared to RM8,300.7 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 briquette iron and uncoated printing & writing paper which together amounted to RM8,092.6 million or 78.0% of total exports.

 

2.2       Palm oil was Sabah’s leading major export commodity with revenue valued at RM3,720.0 million and contributed to more than one-third (35.8%) of the state’s total export earnings during the current review period with an increase of RM984.5 million from RM2,735.4 million of the previous period. The higher receipt was jointly attributable to the better f.o.b. export price which escalated from RM1,203.7 per tonne to RM1,551.3 per tonne coupled with the 5.5% increase in export volume from 2,272.5 thousand tonnes to 2,397.9 thousand tonnes. The People’s Republic of China (969.1 thousand tonnes), the Netherlands (399.3 thousand tonnes), India (277.7 thousand tonnes) and Pakistan (206.7 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 RM2,336.6 million as against RM1,759.8 million during the two review periods. This increase was creditable to the increased f.o.b export price from RM621.0 per tonne to RM823.1 per tonne. (+ RM202.1 per tonne). The quantity exported stood at 2,839 thousand tonnes. India, the Republic of Indonesia and Peninsular Malaysia together acquired 81.5% of Sabah’s crude petroleum.

 

 

2.4       Plywood generated revenue valued RM661.1 million as against RM644.4 million during the periods under review, an increase of RM16.6 million or 2.6%. The f.o.b export price rose by RM49.9 per cubic metre to RM1,062.5 per cubic metre but the volume exported on the other hand, declined by 2.2% to 622.2 thousand  cubic metres. The main importers for Sabah’s plywood during the first seven months of 2003 were Japan (146.9 thousand cubic metres), the U.S.A (123.4 thousand cubic metres), Peninsular Malaysia (91.5 thousand cubic metres) and the Republic of Korea (91.3 thousand cubic metres).

 

3.           Imports

 

3.1       Sabah’s imports rose from RM6,568.1 million to RM7,392.2 million during the periods under comparison, an increase of RM824.1 million or 12.5% resulting from the increased imports on machinery & transport equipment (+ RM391.0 million), mineral fuels, lubricants & related materials (+ RM110.8 million) and chemicals & related products (+ RM105.9 million).

 

3.2       Machinery and transport equipment, tops the list of import items, valued at RM2,549.8 million  or  34.5%  of total imports. Road vehicles (RM978.7 million), general industrial machinery and equipment, n.e.s. and machine parts n.e.s. (RM390.7 million), machines for particular industries (RM353.7 million) and electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, n.e.s. (RM236.7 million) were the main component items imported.

 

3.3       Imports of manufactured goods amounted to RM1,011.0 million or 13.7% of total imports during the current review period. Iron and steel (RM332.0 million), manufactures of metals n.e.s (RM203.6 million), non-metallic mineral manufactures (RM145.2 million) and rubber manufactures (RM116.3 million) were the main constituent items imported.

 

3.4       Sabah import bill on chemicals & related products amounted to RM883.4 million during the current review period which accounted for 12.0% of total imports. Manufactured fertilizers (RM286.6 million), chemicals & related products (RM128.8 million) and essential oils, resinoids & perfume materials, etc (RM127.0 million) were the major component item imported.

 

 4.    Direction of Trade

 

Sabah’s major trading partners during January-July 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

September  9, 2003.


 

SABAH

 

Table 1- EXPORTS OF MAJOR COMMODITIES

                               (RM MILLION)

 

 

Quantity

Value

 

Unit of

January-July

Changes    in

January-July

Changes in

Major Commodities

Quantity

2002

2003

Quantity

2002

2003

Value

1.  Palm Oil ( Crude & Processed)

Tonnes

2,272,461

2,397,927

125,466

2,735.4

3,720.0

984.5

2.  Petroleum (Crude)

‘000Tonnes

2,834

2,839

5

1,759.8

2,336.6

576.8

3.  Plywood

Cu. Metres

636,426

622,191

-14,235

644.4

661.1

16.6

4.  Palm Kernel Oil

Tonnes

243,719

244,539

820

298.7

388.1

89.4

5.  Sawn Timber ( Incl. conifer)

‘000 Cu. Metres

282

284

2

307.0

317.5

10.5

6.  Methanol

Tonnes

263,373

338,479

75,106

122.7

266.5

143.8

7.  Hot Briquetted Iron

Tonnes

418,585

502,888

84,303

171.8

262.9

108.4

8.  Uncoated Printing & Writing 

     Paper

Tonnes

85,506

60,452

-25,054

178.8

139.9

-38.9

9.  Prawns, fresh, frozen

Tonnes

5,609

5,023

-586

131.8

115.7

-16.0

10. Veneer Sheets

Cu. Metres

77,124

92,035

14,911

74.5

93.4

18.9

11. Cocoa Beans (Raw & Roasted)

      Tonnes

15,976

13,730

-2,246

76.5

88.8

12.3

12. Laminated Wood

Cu. Metres

73,955

68,238

-5,717

74.3

76.8

2.6

13. Rubber

Tonnes

15,205

20,417

5,212

36.4

65.5

29.0

14. Palm Kernel Cake

Tonnes

269,888

296,062

26,174

51.9

50.8

-1.1

15. Moulded Woods

Cu. Metres

18,438

13,375

-5,063

34.3

23.6

-10.7

Total Selected Major Exports

 

 

 

 

6,698.3

8,607.2

1,908.9

Other Exports

 

 

 

 

1,602.3

1,769.9

167.5

Total Exports

 

 

 

 

8,300.7

10,377.0

2,076.4

 

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

 


 

SABAH

 

Table 2 - IMPORTS BY COMMODITY SECTIONS (RM MILLION)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                (RM Million)

 

January-July

 

 

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

766.6

11.7

870.6

11.8

104.0

13.6

1. Beverages & tobacco

222.2

3.4

264.4

3.6

42.2

19.0

2. Crude materials, inedible except fuels

236.4

3.6

250.4

3.4

14.1

6.0

3. Mineral fuels, lubricants & related

    materials

653.0

9.9

763.8

10.3

110.8

17.0

4. Animal & vegetable oils & fats

43.3

0.7

51.8

0.7

8.5

19.5

5. Chemicals & related products

777.5

11.8

883.4

12.0

105.9

13.6

6. Manufactured goods classified chiefly

    by materials

960.0

14.6

1,011.0

13.7

51.0

5.3

7. Machinery & transport equipment

2,158.8

32.9

2,549.8

34.5

391.0

18.1

8. Misc. manufactured articles

595.9

9.1

593.7

8.0

-2.2

-0.4

9. Misc. transactions & commodities

154.5

2.4

153.4

2.1

-1.0

-0.7

TOTAL IMPORTS

6,568.1

100.0

7,392.2

100.0

824.1

12.5

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


 

SABAH

 

TABLE 3 - DIRECTION OF TRADE

(RM MILLION)

 

Imports

Exports

 

January-July

January-July

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

3,789.1

57.5

4,181.3

56.6

1,305.8

15.7

1,509.0

14.5

      - Sarawak

182.3

2.8

139.6

1.9

688.4

8.3

522.7

5.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.   ASEAN :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      - Brunei Darussalam

1.3

x

3.6

x

55.6

0.7

93.6

0.9

      - Cambodia

1.3

x

4.6

0.1

-

-

0.2

x

      - Indonesia, Rep. Of

155.7

2.4

190.5

2.6

346.1

4.2

636.5

6.1

      - Laos, People’s Dem. Rep. of

-

-

+

x

5.3

              0.1

-

-

      - Myanmar, Union of

2.3

x

9.3

0.1

0.4

x

2.8

x

      - Philippines

35.1

0.5

56.8

0.8

95.6

1.2

78.5

0.8

      - Singapore, Rep. Of

356.6

5.4

448.6

6.1

200.3

2.4

204.7

2.0

      - Thailand

86.1

1.3

81.9

1.1

88.3

1.1

144.6

1.4

      - Vietnam, Soc. Rep. Of

30.1

0.5

41.7

0.6

55.1

0.7

44.4

0.4

Total ASEAN

668.6

10.1

837.1

11.3

846.6

10.2

1,205.3

11.6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.   Japan

300.0

4.6

355.1

4.8

588.7

7.1

604.3

5.8

4.   China, People’s Rep. Of

235.7

3.6

340.6

4.6

1,100.9

13.3

1,825.7

17.6

5.   Taiwan

91.3

1.4

95.8

1.3

165.7

2.0

224.2

2.2

6.   Korea, Rep. of

33.4

0.5

61.5

0.8

772.4

9.3

426.9

4.1

7.   India

45.5

0.7

39.0

0.5

1,027.4

12.4

1,549.9

14.9

8.   European Union

294.4

4.5

286.6

3.9

685.3

8.3

1,047.8

10.1

9.   U.S.A.

533.3

8.1

626.0

8.5

290.8

3.5

362.8

3.5

10. Other Countries

394.5

6.0

429.6

5.8

828.8

10.0

1,098.4

10.6

Total

6,568.1

100.0

7,392.2

100.0

8,300.7

100.0

10,377.0

100.0

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