FRANCE REDUCES TRADE DEFICIT IN FEBRUARY

  France posted a seasonally adjusted trade
  deficit of 400 mln francs in February after a 2.5 billion franc
  deficit in January, the Finance Ministry said.
      For the first two months of this year the trade deficit, on
  a seasonally adjusted basis, was 2.9 billion francs.
      Unadjusted, the February deficit was 2.4 billion francs and
  the two-month cumulative deficit 8.1 billion, the ministry said
  in a statement.
      The Ministry said February exports totalled 73.8 billion
  francs, an 8.9 pct increase on January, while imports totalled
  74.3 billion francs, an increase of 5.8 pct.
      Farm and food trade showed a two billion franc surplus
  after a surplus of 2.4 billion in January.
      The energy deficit was reduced to 6.5 billion francs from
  eight billion in January, while industrial trade showed a
  surplus of 1.4 billion francs against only 800 mln francs in
  January.
  

