KUALA LUMPUR (May 3): Malaysian exports decreased 0.5% to RM84 billion in March 2019 from a year earlier as the nation sold less electrical and electronic products and commodity-based items.

In a statement today, Statistics Department chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said these commodity-based items comprised crude petroleum, natural rubber besides palm oil and timber-based products.

"Meanwhile, imports also registered a marginal decrease of 0.1% year on year (y-o-y) to RM69.7 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of RM14.4 billion. Total trade, which was valued at RM153.7 billion, declined RM518.6 million or 0.3% from March 2018," Mohd Uzir said in the statement.

The statement said that in March 2019, exports of crude petroleum decreased RM1.2 billion while sales of palm oil and palm oil-based products fell RM618.1 million.

The statement said exports of electrical and electronic products decreased RM606 million, sales of timber and timber-based products fell RM63.3 million while exports of natural rubber dropped RM43.2 million.

"However, an increase was recorded for these products: refined petroleum products (+RM692.8 million) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) (+RM569.1 million). Meanwhile, the decrease in imports by end use was mainly attributed to capital goods (-RM1.1 billion). Meanwhile, intermediate goods (+RM1.2 billion) and consumption goods (+RM562.3 million) increased," the statement said.

Malaysian exports dropped y-o-y for the second consecutive month in March 2019 after February's 5.3% fall.