Customs Union foreign trade slumps 2.3% to $64.8 bln in Jan
MOSCOW. March 20 (Interfax) - The visible foreign trade of members of the Customs Union - Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan - with third countries slumped 2.3% or $1.5 billion year-on-year to $64.8 billion in January 2013, the latest figures from the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) show.
Visible exports to third countries fell 8% or $3.8 billion to $43.5 billion, while imports grew 11.8% or $2.3 billion to $21.3 billion.
The visible trade surplus shrank to $22.2 billion in January from $28.2 billion a year earlier.
Russian exports to countries outside the Customs Union fell 4.0% to $35.6 billion in January, while imports rose 11.6% to $18.3 billion. The trade surplus was $17.3 billion.
Belarusian exports tumbled 25.3% to $1.8 billion, while imports jumped 22.0% to $1.3 billion. The trade surplus was $557 million.
Kazakhstan's exports slid 21.7% to $6.1 billion, while imports grew 7.4% to $1.8 billion, resulting in a surplus of $4.3 billion.
Mutual visible trade among Customs Union members shrank 2.2% year-on-year to $4.7 billion in January.
Trade between Russia and Belarus fell 6.8% to $3.0 billion, while trade between Russia and Kazakhstan grew 8.0% to $1.6 billion; trade between Belarus and Kazakhstan slumped 14.4% to $47 million. Trade between Russia and Belarus made up 64.3% of total trade within the Customs Union, trade between Russia and Kazakhstan accounted for 34.7%, and trade between Belarus and Kazakhstan made up 1.0%.
"The decline in mutual trade was due to the substantial decrease in shipments of oil products from the Russian Federation to the Republic of Belarus (after a nearly ten-fold increase in January 2012 compared to January 2011). Without fuel and energy goods, mutual trade among member nations of the Customs Union and EEC increased by 5.7% in January 2013 compared to January 2012," the EEC said.
