Russia posts January trade surplus of $20.7 bln - customs
MOSCOW. March 7 (Interfax) - Russia had a January trade surplus of $20.7 billion, up 10.1% year-on-year, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) said.
Russia's foreign trade turnover totaled $57.6 billion that month, 2.4% less than in the same month of last year. Turnover with countries outside the Commonwealth of Independent States amounted to $50.8 billion, with CIS countries - $6.8 billion.
The surplus in trade with non-CIS countries was $17.4 billion, up $1.0 billion, and with CIS countries $3.3 billion, up $0.9 billion.
Russia's trade surplus in January of last year was $18.9 billion, up 14.5% year-on-year.
Russia's exports this past January amounted to $39.2 billion, up 0.6% year-on-year. Exports to non-CIS countries accounted for 86.9% of that and exports to CIS countries for the other 13.1%.
Russia's imports in January were worth $18.4 billion, 8.3% less year-on-year. Imports from non-CIS countries accounted for 90.5% of the total and imports from CIS countries the other 9.5%.
Russia's foreign trade turnover in January of this year - factoring in Russian fish and seafood products not requiring customs clearance on Russian territory, bunker fuel, combustible fuel, food and materials acquired from outside Russia, goods and means of transport brought in by private individuals - amounted to $58.2 billion, including $39.6 billion worth of exports and $18.6 billion worth of imports.
Russia's main exports to non-CIS countries in January were fuel and energy resources, which represented 77.5% of the country's exports to them in January (79.3% in January 2013).
Of the goods Russia imported from non-CIS countries, machinery and equipment accounted for 49.6% in January (48.8% in January 2013).
Russia did 50.5% of its goods trade turnover with the European Union in January (49.8% in January 2013), with CIS states 11.9% (14.8%), with countries in the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) 5.9% (8.4%), and with countries in the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 26.0% (23.6%). Russia's goods trade turnover with Kazakhstan and Belarus, the country's fellow Customs Union members, accounted for 5.5% (8.0%).
Russia's main trading partners outside the CIS in January were China, goods turnover with which was worth $7.1 billion (up 16.0% year-on-year), the Netherlands - $5.4 billion (down 2.1%), Germany - $4.7 billion (down 0.2%), Italy - $3.9 billion (up 5.8%), Turkey - $2.6 billion (down 3.0%), Great Britain - $2.0 billion (up 11.4%), and the United States - $1.6 billion (up 8.9%).