Exports up 19.5% at $9.9bn in Dec

The growth rate of exports witnessed a slowdown in December with merchandise shipments showing an increase of just 19.5% to $9.9 billion in December.

Non-oil imports, which generally include capital equipment and other economic activity generating inputs, were up 31% in December to $10.1 billion. Oil imports increased 29.5% to $4.8 billion in December.

Exports in the first nine months of the current fiscal was up 36.2% at $89.4 billion, according to official figures released today.

Imports between April-December increased 36.30% to $131.2 billion.

With imports increasing faster than exports, trade deficit in the first three quarters of 2006-07 ballooned to $41.7 billion as against $30.5 billion in the same period last year.