Russia ups imports from non-CIS 3.5% to $155 bln in 7M - customs
MOSCOW. Aug 5 (Interfax) - Russia imported 3.5% more goods from countries outside of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in January-July 2013 than it did in the same period last year, at $154.97 billion.
According to preliminary data published on the Federal Customs Service (FCS) website, imports totaled $24.711 billion in July alone, up 9% over June and 0.3% more than in July 2012.
Imports of textile goods and footwear were up 13.9% in July year-on-year, purchases of foodstuffs rose 7.5%, and chemical product imports increased 5.3%, while machinery imports fell 5.9%.
Among food imports, vegetable oil purchases jumped 60.7%, dairy products - 43.4%, sugar - 26.4%, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages - 23.6%, and fish - 22.0%, while imports declined 23.3% for cereals, 12.5% for tobacco, 8.8% for meat and by-products, 7.0% for fruit and 1.4% for vegetables.
In the chemical industry category, imports of pharmaceutical products increased 9.2%, soap and synthetic detergents - 7.4%, organic and inorganic chemistry products - 5.0%, polymers and rubbers - 4.0%, and perfume and cosmetic goods - 0.2%.
In the textile goods and footwear category, imports of knitted garments rose 23.8%, finished textile items - 21.2%, footwear - 12.1%, knitted fabrics - 10.2%, chemical thread - 3.9% and textile materials - 2.6%, while imports declined 23.2% for chemical fiber, 7.8% for textile clothing and 0.4% for cotton.
For machinery, aircraft purchases declined 39.5%, means of ground transportation - down 17.2%, and electrical equipment - down 8.3%. Imports increased 120% for railway locomotive parts, 25.2% for ships and vessels, 4.2% for mechanical equipment and 1.3% for optical instruments and apparatus.
