Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the value of total merchandise export for February 2011 amounted to MOP358 million, down by 20.2% year-on-year, of which value of domestic exports (MOP114 million) and re-exports (MOP244 million) decreased by 24.4% and 18.1% respectively. Value of exports of Garment, knitted or crocheted shrank substantially by 62.8% year-on-year, while that of Tobacco & wine increased by 50.9%. Value of total merchandise import amounted to MOP3.53 billion in February 2011, up by 24.3% year-on-year. Value of imports of Capital goods surged by 71.8%, with the majority being Mobile phones. A merchandise trade deficit of MOP3.17 billion was recorded for February 2011. In the first two months of 2011, total value of merchandise export dropped by 5.1% year-on-year to MOP1.01 billion, of which value of domestic exports and re-exports declined by 0.1% and 7.7% respectively; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import rose by 32.3% to MOP8.43 billion. Merchandise trade deficit for January and February 2011 widened by 39.8% to MOP7.42 billion; the exports/imports ratio went down by 4.8 percentage points year-on-year to 12.0%. Value of merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP468 million), Mainland China (MOP129 million) and the USA (MOP93 million) in the first two months of 2011 decreased by 0.4%, 6.1% and 33.3% respectively year-on-year; however, exports to the EU (MOP67 million) increased by 6.4%. Exports of Non-textile slid by 2.2% year-on-year to MOP806 million, with that of Jewellery decreasing by 47.2%, but exports of Clocks & watches and Tobacco & wine surging by 95.6% and 58.4% respectively; meanwhile, exports of Textile & garment declined by 14.8% to MOP208 million. In the first two months of 2011, value of merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP2.41 billion) and the EU (MOP2.24 billion) expanded by 27.0% and 55.2% respectively year-on-year. Imports of Consumer goods soared by 32.7% to MOP5.19 billion, of which imports of Food & beverages (MOP1.31 billion), Gold jewellery (MOP688 million) and Handbags & wallets (MOP441 million) increased by 32.1%, 20.9% and 79.0% respectively. Moreover, imports of Capital goods (MOP1.50 billion) and Raw materials & semi-manufactures (MOP878 million) registered year-on-year increase of 68.1% and 9.9% respectively. In January and February 2011, total value of merchandise import and export amounted to MOP9.44 billion, up by 26.9% compared with MOP7.44 billion from a year earlier.
