Exports up 16.09% in January

Thailand's export shipment in January grew 16.09 per cent year on year to US$18.26 billion, showing the continued increase from late last year.

According to the Commerce Ministry’s data, imports rose by 40.87 per cent to $23.75 billion, leading to the trade deficit of $5.4 billion last month.

Vatchari Vimooktayon, permanent-secretary to the Commerce Ministry, attributed the high imports to the large amount of import value of gold and aircraft. Higher prices of natural gas and oil as well as higher import volume also attributed to the increasing imports.

The ministry is confident that exports will continue to grow in the remaining months of the year and that the annualised growth would be 8-9 per cent as expected.