Philippine exports rise 19.5 percent

Philippine exports rise 19.5 percent

MANILA: Philippine exports in November rose 19.5 percent from a year earlier to US$3.69 billion, the fastest growth rate since July 2002 and up on 12.3 percent in October, the National Statistics Office said on Tuesday.

The November figures brought the year-to-date total to 36.38 billion dollars, up 9.9 percent from the same period in 2003, the NSO said.

The government has a 10 percent export growth target for 2004.

Electronic products were the country's top export again, worth $2.49 billion or 67.6 percent of the total in November for a gain of 16.1 percent over November 2003.

Apparel and other clothing accessories totaled $176.92 million or 4.8 percent of the total and were up 33.3 percent over a year earlier.

Japan was the largest market, taking 23.7 percent of exports in November, followed by the United States with 15.5 percent.-- AFP