KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 Malaysia’s export growth surged again in April, though at a slightly slower pace compared to the previous month, government data showed on Monday. April’s exports rose 20.6 percent from a year earlier, the fifth straight month of double-digit growth. The pace was just below the 22.3 percent growth forecast in a Reuters poll and down from 24.1 percent in March.
Shipments of manufactured goods, which account for about four-fifths of total exports, grew by 17.3 percent from a year earlier in April, data from the International Trade and Industry Ministry showed. Exports of mining goods jumped 51.8 percent on higher fuel prices and volumes, while shipments of agricultural goods, led by palm oil products, rose 20.9 percent. Imports in April rose 24.7 percent from a year earlier, down from March’s 39.4 percent growth, the highest annual increase in seven years. The trade surplus in April widened to 8.8 billion ringgit ($2.06 billion), from March’s 5.4 billion ringgit.
Malaysia reports trade data in ringgit (MYR=>. This year, the currency has strengthened about 5 percent against the dollar. Exports to China jumped 50.6 percent from a year earlier, on higher demand for Malaysia’s commodities, and electrical and electronic goods. Exports to the United States rose 11 percent on higher shipments of electrical and electronic goods, while those to the European Union grew 26.5 percent.
