Pretoria, 30 November 2012 - The South African Revenue Service (SARS) today releases trade statistics for October 2012 that record a trade deficit of R21.2 billion.
Summary
The R21.2 billion deficit for October 2012 was due to an increase in exports of 7.8% and an increase in imports of 16.7%.
Exports increased by R4.4 billion (7.8%) and imports increased by R11.8 billion (16.7%).
The increased trade deficit of R21.2 billion for October 2012 was mainly due to increased imports of machinery and electrical appliances, chemical products and vehicles, aircraft and vessels.
The cumulative deficit for the year to date is R104.6 billion compared to R9.4 billion for the same period in 2011.