Thai exports fall 4.7 pc in February

The Commerce Ministry said that Thailand's customs-based exports contracted for a fifth straight month in February, down 4.7 per cent from a year ago, due to a slowing global economy.

That was down from January's 4.5 per cent fall of 6.9 per cent for February, compared to a projected year-on-year fall of 6.9 per cent in a Reuters poll.

The ministry said last year that the fall was due to a high base.

Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, head of the ministry's department of international trade promotion, told a news conference that shipments were expected to drop in the first and second quarters before improving in the second half of the year.

The ministry will maintain its target of 1 per cent -- 2 per cent export growth this year, official Poonpong Naiyanapakorn said.

In February, imports rose by 1.1 per cent from a year earlier, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.11 billion for the month.