South African Trade Statistics for August 2012
Pretoria, 28 September 2012 - The South African Revenue Service (SARS) today releases trade statistics for August 2012 that record a trade deficit of R12.2 billion.
Summary
The trade deficit for August 2012 increased by R5.5 billion to R12.2 billion (deficit of R3.8 billion in August 2011) from a deficit of R6.7 billion in July 2012.
Exports decreased by R2.1 billion (-3.3%) to R61.4 billion and imports increased by R3.4 billion (4.9%) to R73.6 billion.
The increased trade deficit of R12.2 billion in August 2012 was mainly due to increased imports of mineral and chemical products, combined with a decline in exports of mineral and chemical products.