Record imports

Norway imported NOK 21.8 million worth of traditional merchandise in April. This is an increase of NOK 4.1 billion, or 22.9 per cent compared to the same month last year.

Exports amounted to NOK 29.1 billion, with crude oil and natural gas accounting for NOK 14 billion, and traditional merchandise NOK 15.1 billion, an increase of 19.2 per cent. The increases are attributed to expanded trade in important commodity groups and the effect of Easter falling in March this year instead of April.

The trade surplus for January to April totals NOK 36.6 billion, 25 per cent higher than in January to April last year. The deficit for traditional merchandise amounted to NOK 20.5 billion compared to NOK 18.4 billion during the same period last year.

Exports of crude oil and natural gas amounted in April to NOK 14 billion, with crude oil accounting for NOK 12.2 billion and gas for NOK 1.8 billion. Norway exported 11 per cent more crude oil and nine per cent more natural gas compared to April last year, while the price per barrel of crude oil (NOK 128) was down 5.2 per cent.

New Statistics

Foreign trade in goods, April 1997.
Statistics are published every month in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics and the Monthly Bulletin of External Trade. Detailed figures will be available from Customer Services, Foreign Trade, tel. +47 21 09 47 52/53. More information: Anne B. Dahle, tel. +47 21 09 47 10, e-mail: abd@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 20, 1997