May export value contracts 5.2%
Thailand's export value in May contracted 5.2 per cent, pressuring the five-month growth figure to only 1.56 per cent, according to Commerce Ministry's data.
The export value in the month totalled US$19.8 billion, down by 5.25 per cent from the same period last year. As imports, down 2.14 per cent on year, were valued at $22.13 billion, Thailand in the month showed $2.3 billion in trade surplus.
Export value in the first five months totalled $94.2 billion, showing a meagre increase of 1.56 per cent from the same period a year earlier. Against $108 billion in import value - which went up by 5.70 per cent on year, Thailand in the period posted a trade deficit of $13.8 billion.
Tougher times ahead are expected, as the US has not yet fully recovered from the economic crisis while China anticipates an economic slowdown.
