Customs Union trade grows 7.4% to $459.6 bln in H1
MOSCOW. Aug 23 (Interfax) - According to the latest figures from the Eurasian Economic Commission's statistics department, trade external trade conducted by the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan increased 7.4% year-on-year to $459.6 billion in the first half of 2012, trade within the Union 13.2% to $33.9 billion.
According to the commission's official website, exports from Union countries to non-Union countries were worth $302.9 billion, imports from the latter - $156.7 billion. The former were up 9.7% year-on-year (or by $26.9 billion) and the latter 4.8% ($7.2 billion).
Exports from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus to non-Union countries were up a respective 7.2%, 13.5%, and 46.9%. Imports into Russia and Kazakhstan were up 5% and 38.2%, but imports to Belarus were down 23.3%.
The first half produced a trade surplus of $146.2 billion ($126.6 billion in H1 2011). The surplus for Russia was $106 billion, for Kazakhstan - $31.5 billion, and for Belarus - $8.7 billion.
The greatest growth in internal Union trade lay with Russia (19.4% up year-on-year). For Belarus it was 12.5% growth, and for Kazakhstan it was a 15.6% decrease. The proportion for the economies of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan in overall trade was a respective 66.3%, 24.1%, and 9.6%.
The volume of mutual trade between Customs Union members is considered to be the aggregate value of Union export volume in mutual trade, according to the EEC statistics department.
