Philippine merchandise imports in April rose 20.3 percent on year to 5.49 billion U.S. dollars on increased imports of electronics, the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported Tuesday.

Electronic products account for over 30 percent of the total Philippine import bill. Payments for electronic products in April increased 11.5 percent on year to 1.69 billion U.S. dollars.

Imports of mineral fuels, transport equipment and plastics likewise expanded in April.

Total trade for April 2011 was registered at 9.79 billion U.S. dollars, higher by 19.8 percent from April 2010. The balance of trade in goods (BOT-G) in April 2011 posted a deficit of 1.195 billion U.S. dollars, compared to last year's recorded deficit value of 957 million U.S. dollars.