Australia's trade balance has posted a surplus in April, the first trade surplus in 13 months. Expectations of better outcome on exports are floating anew as Asia's demand for mineral resources is surging up.

Imports in the country have been up in the previous year which posted a trade deficit of $2 billion in March.

In April, significant increases on minerals export casted a $134 million trade surplus, stripping away forecasts of a $500 million deficit in the next months.

Exports excluding farm goods jumped 18.4 per cent in April and is the biggest increase since May 1982 to $14.8 billion, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Coal sales jumped to 40 per cent while a 32 per cent lift in earnings was noted from iron ore with a two per cent increase in volumes and a 29 per cent increase in iron ore prices.

Royal Bank of Scotland senior economist Felicity Emmett said that iron ore miners had won a 100 per cent rise in ore prices, which contrasted the 29 per cent increase recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

"This suggests the trade balance will continue to improve over the next few months," she said.

Miners are also shipping more volumes with iron ore exports up 2 per cent and coal sales, even when interrupted by cyclones in Queensland, had a 35 per cent increase.

Exports to China increased by nearly a quarter, to $4bn. There was a noted increase in sales to all of Australia's top 10 markets, except the US and India.

Statistics showed however that Australia's exports and imports still remained lower than the target before the global financial crisis.

Overall exports are down by a fifth from the level reached in October 2008. Coal exports are down by 52 per cent. Exports of motor vehicles are almost half lower.

Other machinery and manufactured exports are 15 per cent lower, while farm exports also decreased to 21.8 per cent. Manufactured goods export also fell in April.

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