TAIPEI, Jan 24 (AP) -- Taiwan's export orders -- or contracts for foreign shipments -- surged 24.22 percent in December from the same month a year earlier on strong demand for information, communications, and consumer electronics products, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Tuesday.

The orders rose to 786.3 billion New Taiwan dollars (US$24.59 billion; €20.01 billion), the ministry said in a statement.

The increase was higher than the average forecast of 22 percent in a Dow Jones Newswires survey, but was lower than the 24.58 percent increase recorded in November.

Orders for information and communications products in December grew 38.38 percent from the same month a year before to NT$170.77 billion (US$5.34 billion; €4.34 billion), and electronics products orders rose 30.73 percent to NT$177.48 billion (US$5.55 billion; €4.51 billion), the ministry said.

Taiwan's export orders for all of 2005 rose 19.2 percent to NT$8.19 trillion (US$256.39 billion; €208.68 billion) compared to all of 2004, the ministry said.