Kazakhstan imported $2.6 bln of goods in January-July 2000

/IRBIS, Sep.25, 00/ - REUTERS informs, with the reference to the Statistics agency of Kazakhstan, that imports, excluding unorganized trade, equaled $2.601 bln in January-July 2000 (including freight and insurance expenses). It is said that external trade turnover of the country equaled $7.6 bln in seven months of the year, exports grew by 89%, and imports increased by 23% with respect to similar period of last year. Following are imports in both physical and monetary terms relative to similar period: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- January-July 2000/99 January-July 2000/99 ------------------------------------------------ in physic. terms % mln $ % ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Natural gas (mln cubic meters) 2,400.7 +27.0 73.4 +0.2 Electricity (mln kWh) 1,665.8 -7.0 23.8 -40.0 Oil products (th. tons) 692.8 +200.1 131.2 +300.4 Sugar (th. tons) 208.3 +11.0 52.8 -7.0 Tea (th. tons) 9.9 -8.0 12.0 -30.0 Vehicles (th.) 40.7 -23.0 113.5 -26.0 Machinery and equipment - - 663.3 +34.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Machinery, equipment, transportation and devices account for the most (39%) of the imports, is said. The agency informs, that major suppliers of gas, electricity, oil products, vehicles, minerals, chemical and metallurgical products are CIS countries. Other countries provide the country with machinery - 57% of the imports, and pharmaceuticals - 75%.