Taiwan's manufacturing sector saw sales rise 9.28% to NT$2.0693 trillion in Q3

Taipei, Nov. 25, 2003 (CENS)--The sales revenue of Taiwan's manufacturing industries totaled NT$2.0693 trillion (US$60.86 billion at US$1 = NT$34) in the third quarter of this year, up 9.28% from the same period of last year, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Of the total, domestic sales accounted for NT$1,114.4 billion (US$32.78 billion) or 53.86%; while exports made up the remaining NT$954.9 billion (US$28.1 billion) or 46.14%. Compared to the same quarter of last year, domestic sales rose by 8.72% and exports advanced 9.95%.

Of the various industries, petroleum & coal products, petrochemical materials, and base metals recorded an annual sales growth of 23.37%, 20.71%, and 15.45%, respectively, in the third quarter. In addition, the precision machinery, electricity & electronic materials, and paper making industries also enjoyed a double-digit growth. By contrast, such traditional industries as textile, garment, leather products, wooden & bamboo products, and furniture all posted sales declines.

In the electricity & electronic materials category, it scored sales value of NT$783.7 billion (US$23.05 billion) in the third quarter, up11.81% from one year earlier. Insiders believed that the rise should be attributed to the global economic recovery, the end of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, and the increasing demand for electronic consumers' products. The robust electronics market also stimulated the up-stream and down-stream industries, including electricity, electronic materials and semiconductors.

The electronics products that posted remarkable sales increases included refrigerators, air conditioners, optical disks, Internet connectors, interface cards, Ics, contract wafer foundry, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and liquid crystal display (LCD) devices.

In the same period, the top two export-oriented industries were the industries in the 'other' category and precision machinery, which registered export ratios of up to 71.61% and 71.31%, respectively. The garment industry followed with an export ratio of 69.4% and electric & electronic materials with 68.06%.

On another front, the food, tobacco, and printing industries registered the highest domestic sales ratio of over 90%, and paper making and non-metal mineral products came next with over 80%. Chemical products, petroleum & coal products, and base metals posted domestic sales ratios of between 70% and 80%.