WELLINGTON, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The monthly value of goods imports in October 2021 rose 26 percent from October 2020 to 6.6 billion NZ dollars (4.54 billion U.S. dollars), New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Thursday.
There were increases in imports from all of New Zealand's top trading partners, with China making up 27 percent of the total rise, Stats NZ said.
This increase was led by rises in mechanical machinery and equipment, such as turbo jets and laptops, and vehicles, parts, and accessories, it said.
"These rises reflect both a rebound from the low import values in 2020, and an ongoing increase in the quantity and value of imports," international trade manager Alasdair Allen said in a statement.
Imports of fertilizers were up 78 percent. There was also a large increase in imports of pharmaceutical products, up 85 percent, led by imports of vaccines, Allen said.
The monthly value of goods exports in October 2021 rose 12 percent from October 2020 to 5.3 billion NZ dollars (3.64 billion U.S. dollars), he said.
The leading export commodity group movement was milk powder, butter, and cheese, up 18 percent. Milk powder rose 19 percent due to an 18 percent rise in price per kilogram, statistics show.
Meat exports were up 25 percent. The increase in exports to China accounted for 43 percent of this rise. Total sheep meat exports rose 25 percent and the price per kilogram increased 26 percent, Stats NZ said.
"Total goods exports in October 2021 were up on the same month of 2020, led by dairy products, beef and sheep meat," Allen said, adding the rises in primary commodities were all led by higher export prices.
Partly offsetting these rises were falls in aircraft and parts after several aircraft were sent overseas in 2020 for long-term storage, he said.
The monthly goods trade balance for October 2021 was a deficit of 1.3 billion NZ dollars (894 million U.S. dollars). October 2020 had a 471 million NZ dollars (324 million U.S. dollars) deficit, statistics show.
For the year ended October 2021, annual goods imports were up 16 percent from the previous year. Annual goods exports were up 3.3 percent from the previous year. The annual goods trade balance was a deficit of 4.9 billion NZ dollars (3.37 billion U.S. dollars), Stats NZ said. Enditem