Malaysia exported RM105.6 billion of goods in April 2021 and imported RM85.1 billion, and the Statistics Department said both figures set records. The trade surplus came to RM20.5 billion, announced on Friday as the country continues to recover from the pandemic.
“Malaysia’s exports continued to be vibrant,” Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said. They rose 63% from a year earlier, compared with 31.1% growth in March. Domestic exports, worth RM85 billion and 80.5% of the total, grew 84%. Re-exports were valued at RM20.6 billion, up 11%.
Imports rose 24.4% year-on-year. Total trade reached RM190.8 billion, up 43.2% on April 2020.
Where exports went
Shipments grew to five main destinations: the United States (+RM6.8 billion), Singapore (+RM5.5 billion), the European Union (+RM4.1 billion), China (+RM3.4 billion) and India (+RM2.7 billion).
By product, electrical and electronic goods led with a RM11.2 billion rise. Rubber products added RM5.1 billion, petroleum products RM4.6 billion, metal manufacturing RM3 billion, and machinery, equipment and parts RM2.8 billion. Among commodities, palm oil and palm oil-based products gained RM2.5 billion.
What came in
China (+RM6 billion), Singapore (+RM4 billion), Japan (+RM2.3 billion), Indonesia (+RM1.8 billion) and Thailand (+RM1.6 billion) supplied most of the extra imports. Electrical and electronic goods rose RM5.8 billion and petroleum products RM4.3 billion. Chemicals added RM2 billion, crude petroleum RM1.4 billion, metal manufacturing RM1.3 billion and iron and steel products RM1 billion.
Intermediate goods made up 54.6% of imports, up RM18.2 billion or 64.4%. Consumption goods, at 8.9% of imports, rose 29.9% to RM7.6 billion from RM5.8 billion. Capital goods went the other way: imports fell RM5.7 billion, or 38.2%, from April 2020 to RM9.3 billion, which is 10.9% of the total.
