Taipei - Taiwan's exports dropped 35.7 per cent in March year-on-year as demand declined amid the global downturn, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.

Exports slipped to 15.59 billion US dollars in March, down 8.65 billion US dollars, or 35.7 per cent, from a year earlier, registering a decline for the seventh straight month, the ministry said in a statement.

But compared with February, the amount of exports rose 2.99 billion US dollars, or 23.8 per cent, indicating increased demand in urgent export orders on crucial electronic products and companies needing to refill inventories, the ministry said.

Imports amounted to 12.17 billion US dollars, down 11.94 billion dollars, or 49.5 per cent, from the same period last year, marking a contraction for the sixth straight month, the ministry said.

In March, Taiwan posted a trade surplus of 3.41 billion dollars, up 0.25 per cent from the same period last year, it said. (dpa)