Singapore's domestic and foreign wholesale trade sustained healthy growth of 20.5 percent and 22 percent respectively in the third quarter of 2005 as compared with the same period of last year.

According to the figures released by Singapore Department of Statistics (SDS) on Monday, the ship chandlers and bunkering sector and the petroleum and petroleum products sector were the main growth contributors of the domestic wholesale trade with increases of 41.4 percent and 39.6 percent respectively.

The domestic wholesaling of household equipment and furniture, food, beverages and tobacco, electronic components, as well as general wholesale trade contracted by 11.6 percent to 4.1 percent in the third quarter.

The foreign wholesale market saw the same two major growth boosters as the domestic market did in the quarter ending in September as the sales of ship chandlers and bunkering and petroleum and petroleum products expanded by 50.3 percent and 38.6 percent respectively.

Except for the decline of sales in the household equipment and furniture sector, the food, beverages and tobacco sector and the timber, paints and construction materials sector, other foreign wholesale activities registered higher turnover in the third quarter of 2005 over the correspondent period of last year.

Source: Xinhua