THAILAND’S customs-cleared exports dropped more than expected in July, commerce ministry data showed Friday, suggesting the economy continues to struggle to expand in the face of tepid global demand.

    Exports declined 4.4 percent from a year earlier, compared with the median forecast for a fall of 2 percent in a Reuters poll.

    In July, imports dropped 7.2 percent from a year earlier, leaving a trade surplus of US$1.21 billion for the month. Many imported materials are assembled into completed goods and shipped out again. Thai exports, worth about two-thirds of the country’s economic output, have declined in each of the past three years.

    The central bank has forecast exports will fall again this year, by 2.5 percent.(SD-Agencies)