KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — Malaysia’s total trade was valued at RM241.9 billion in January, with exports at RM122.8 billion and imports at RM119.2 billion, said the Statistics Department (DOSM).
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said January exports rose by RM380.3 million (0.3 per cent) from last year.
“The increase was attributed to the higher exports in Penang (RM8.3 billion), Melaka (RM1.4 billion), Perak (RM76.4 million), and Sabah (RM11 million).
“However, exports fell in Johor by RM4.1 billion, (followed by) Sarawak (RM1.5 billion), Kuala Lumpur (RM1 billion), Selangor (RM844.6 million), Pahang (RM684 million), Terengganu (RM459.6 million), Negeri Sembilan (RM358.6 million), Kedah (RM225.4 million), Labuan (RM123.2 million), Kelantan (RM32.4 million), and Perlis (RM10.9 million),” he said in a statement today.
Uzir noted that Penang remained top exporter, contributing 34.9 per cent of total exports, followed by Johor (19 per cent), Selangor (17.3 per cent), Sarawak (7.5 per cent), and Kedah (4.2 per cent).
He said January imports increased by RM6.9 billion (6.2 per cent) versus last year due to higher imports in most states, including Penang (RM7.3 billion), Johor (RM2.5 billion), Perak (RM346.2 million), Kuala Lumpur (RM285.2 million), Labuan (RM139.0 million), Kelantan (RM92.9 million), and Perlis (RM29.0 million).
However, imports declined in Melaka (RM2.2 billion), Pahang (RM633.7 million), Terengganu (RM479.8 million), Negeri Sembilan (RM377.9 million), Kedah (RM157.8 million), Sabah (RM101.4 million), Sarawak (RM86.9 million), and Selangor (RM73.8 million).
Selangor remained Malaysia’s largest importer, accounting for 24.8 per cent of total imports, followed by Johor (24.3 per cent), Penang (24.1 per cent), Kuala Lumpur (8.5 per cent), and Kedah (5.2 per cent).
Meanwhile, the DOSM said Malaysia’s terms of trade expanded 0.6 per cent month-on-month to 118.4 points in January.
It said the increase was driven by the index growth of animal and vegetable oils and fats (5 per cent), food (1.2 per cent) and chemicals (1.1 per cent),
The terms of trade climbed 3.4 per cent year-on-year from 114.5 points in January last year.
“Malaysia’s export prices in January 2025 edged up by 0.3 per cent from 150.7 points in the previous month to 151.2 points, while import prices fell 0.2 per cent from 128 points to 127.7 points,” it said in a statement today.
Uzir said the export unit value index rose by 0.3 per cent in January from December.
“This increase was primarily driven by an increase in the indices of animal and vegetable oils and fats (4 per cent), miscellaneous manufactured articles (0.8 per cent), and mineral fuels (0.7 per cent).
“However, the export volume index decreased by 11.6 per cent in line with the decrement in the index of animal and vegetable oils and fats (19.3 per cent), miscellaneous manufactured articles (13.6 per cent) and machinery and transport equipment (13.1 per cent),” he said.
He added that the seasonally adjusted export volume index edged down by 2.9 per cent from 163.8 points to 159.1 points. On an annual comparison, the unit value index went up by 2.7 per cent and the volume index went down by 2.4 per cent.
Uzir said the index of chemicals (-0.5 per cent), machinery and transport equipment (-0.4 per cent), and mineral fuels (-0.3 per cent) all contributed to a 0.2 per cent decrease in the import unit value index in January.
“However, the import volume index rose by 0.1 per cent in January 2025 from the previous month, contributed by the increment in the index of inedible crude materials (12.4 per cent), food (6.8 per cent) and machinery and transport equipment (3.9 per cent).
“The seasonally adjusted import volume index went up by 5.7 per cent from 201.5 points to 212.9 points. On a year-on-year comparison, the unit value index slipped by 0.7 per cent while the volume index rose by 6.9 per cent,” he added.
— Bernama
