MINSK, 19 March (BelTA) – In January 2010 Belarus’ foreign trade in goods and services was up by 18.1% from the same period in 2009 to $4.034 billion, BelTA learned from the National Statistics Committee. Belarus’ export increased by 34.5% to $2.079 billion and import edged up by 4.6% to $1.955 billion. Belarus’ foreign trade surplus made up $123.7 million. The National Statistics Committee attributed the growth of the foreign trade to the increasing average prices for exported and imported products. The average export prices were up by 22.4% from January 2009, with the average import prices up by 23.3%. In real terms export went up by 12.5%, import – by 17.2%. In January 2009 the trade in commodities totaled $3.584 billion, with export as high as $1.777 billion, import — $1.806 billion. In actual prices the export of goods increased by 37.7% in comparison with the same period last year, import of goods inched up by 2.1%. The deficit of the merchandise trade amounted to $28.5 million while it was $477.5 million in January 2009. Export and import operations with intermediate goods (energy resources, raw materials, and components) were the main source of the foreign trade deficit. Belarus imported $1.445 billion worth of intermediate products (up 12.6% on January 2009) and exported $1.245 billion worth of intermediate products (up 35.4%). The deficit of the foreign trade in energy resources amounted to $253.6 million. In January 2010 the export of Belarusian investment goods went up due to the increasing cost terms of export of trucks (by $26 million), tractors ($16.7 million) and other goods. At the same time Belarus imported fewer metal-working machine-tools (by $35 million), machines and mechanisms (by $3.7 million), equipment to produce goods from pulp (by $3.2 million). As a result the trade in investment foods resulted in a surplus of $44 million (as against the deficit of $85.4 million in January 2009). In January 2010 the surplus of the foreign trade in food totaled $115.5 million ($46.9 million in January 2009). The 49.5% increase was due to the increasing cost volumes of deliveries of white sugar, pork, condensed and dried milk, butter. In January 2010 Belarus’ foreign trade in services totaled $457.4 million (up 20.4% over January 2009). The export of services amounted to $298.8 million (up 17.6%), import — $158.6 million (up 26%). The surplus stood at $140.2 million.

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