It was learned from Yichang Customs that the total imports and exports in foreign trade reached a value of 2.23billion in the first two months of the year, a decrease of 2% as compared with that of the previous year. To be specific, the exports 1.7 billion yuan in total fell 10.9%, while the imports rose by 44.8%, 530 million yuan in total. And Yichang’s total imports and exports accounted for 6.3% of those of Hubei province.

Statistics show that the city\'s general imports and exports reached 1.88 billion yuan in January and February, up 10.3%, accounting for 84.3% of the total imports and exports of the same time. Meanwhile, the processing trade imports and exports reached 320 million yuan, fell 34.8%.

Privately-run enterprises’ imports and exports continue to grow rapidly. The trade volume reached 1.08 billion yuan in the first two months of the year, increased by 26.9%, while that of the state-owned enterprises was 830 million yuan, falling by 14.7%, and the volumes of those Sino-foreign joint ventures and foreign enterprises both being 150million yuan, falling by 39% and 1.6% respectively.

Regarding the foreign markets, the ASEAN market was active and it has become Yichang’s largest trading partner. And the total bilateral trade volume has reached 420million yuan in January and February, an increase by 55.1% with that between Yichang and EU being 260million yuan, a decrease by14.4% during the same period. The trade volume between Yichang and America was 240million yuan, a decrease by 21.3% while that between Yichang and Japan was 180 million yuan, a decrease by 35.4%.

The export of agricultural products occupies the leading position. In the first two months, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, medical gauze and active yeast have become Yichang’s top 4 export commodities. Yet, the export of diammonium hydrogen phosphate fell 42.2%, medical gauze by 13.2%, active yeast by 15.2% and that of no backing aluminum foil increased 4.8%. However, the exported agricultural products reached 310 million yuan, increasing by 8.1%.

During the same period, top 3 import commodities were sulfur, no backing aluminum foil and copper wire in terms of individual item, the export value of them being 340 million yuan, 30million yuan and 10million yuan respectively.

Yichang Jinmei Industry and Trading Co, Ltd. was the only one whose total import and export exceeded 200million yuan from January to February. Under it, there were seven other enterprises whose import and export values were between 100 to 200 million yuan. (Reporter: Pei Shujing; correspondent: Liu Lingqiao)