Kazakh foreign trade surplus up 11.2 percent in first quarter

ALMATY. May 15. KAZINFORM Kazakhstan's foreign trade surplus amounted 12.9 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2012, up 11.2 percent year-on-year, the Kazakh State Statistics Agency reported on Monday.

Foreign trade turnover expanded 34.1 percent to 30.9 billion U. S. dollars. Exports grew 32.3 percent to 21.9 billion U.S. dollars and imports increased 38.7 percent to 9 billion U.S. dollars.

Exports to the Customs Union states totaled to 1.6 billion U.S. dollars (down 19.9 percent), imports 3.6 billion U.S. dollars (up 15 percent).

The main consumers of Kazakhstan-made goods were Italy (18.8 percent of all exports), China (16.4 percent) and France (8.5 percent) in January-March 2012, Xinhua reports.

Russia (39.1 percent), China (15.9 percent) and Ukraine (8.3 percent) were the main exporters to Kazakhstan in the first quarter.

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