Export decreases by 8.8% in March

The value of Finnish exports decreased by 8.8 per cent while the value of imports decreased by 6.1 per cent in March year-on-year, according to the preliminary statistics of international trade in goods provided by Finnish Customs.

The value of Finnish exports in March was EUR 5.0 billion and the value of imports was almost EUR 5.3 billion, said a Customs press release.

In January-March, the total value of exports decreased by 13.1 per cent and the value of imports by 3.8 per cent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, the trade balance was EUR 270 million in deficit in March. In January-March, the trade balance ran a deficit of almost EUR 1.3 billion. In March last year, the trade balance was EUR 125 million in deficit, but in January-March it was EUR 270 million in surplus.

Exports to EU member states decreased by 6.0 per cent and exports to non-EU countries by 12.4 per cent in March.

Imports from EU-countries diminished by 2.0 per cent and imports from non-EU countries fell by 11.8 per cent in March.

Calculated from the beginning of the year, exports to EU decreased by 13.4 per cent and to non-EU countries by 12.8 per cent. During the same period, imports from EU member states fell by 2.3 per cent and from other countries by 5.8 per cent.