KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — The export and import unit value indices shrank by 1.7 per cent and 1.2 per cent month-on-month (m-o-m) to 114.1 points and 114.8 points, respectively, in April 2020, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
In a statement today, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin attributed the decline in the exports unit value index to the decrease in several indices, namely mineral fuels (-10.8 per cent ), animal and vegetable oils & fats (-5.2 per cent) and inedible crude materials (-0.2 per cent).
In a statement today, he also attributed the decline in imports unit value index to the contraction in several indices, namely mineral fuels (-14.0 per cent), animal and vegetable oils & fats (-6.7 per cent) and inedible crude materials (-0.3 per cent).
Mohd Uzir said the export volume index also dropped 17.6 per cent to 107.0 points; led by the decline in machinery and transport equipment (-26.5 per cent), miscellaneous manufactured articles (-25.5 per cent) and mineral fuels (-20.3 per cent) indices.
However, the import volume index rose 2.2 per cent to 135.6 points, supported by the 34.3 per cent increase in the machinery and transport equipment index.
On a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, both the export unit value and volume indices fell 0.6 per cent and 23.3 per cent respectively in April 2020 compared with April 2019, while the import unit value and volume indices also shed 2.9 per cent and 5.1 per cent, he said.
He added that Malaysia’s terms of trade dropped 0.5 per cent m-o-m to 99.4 points, but rose by 2.4 per cent y-o-y from 97.1 points previously.
— Bernama
