1.   And this is happening when the Japanese economy is stumbling along, a period when one might expect import demand to stagnate.

2.   Import demand is stronger in the United States than abroad because growth is more robust here.

3.   Import demand is stronger in the United States than abroad.

4.   Wheat and soybeans fell after a week of poor exports renewed concern that plunging Asian currencies will reduce import demand from some of the biggest buyers of U.S. crops.

5.   While cheaper foreign petroleum no doubt helped narrow the trade gap, the weakness implied by the substantial overall drop in import demand is a troubling development.

6.   Also the sharp depreciation of Asian currencies has weakened import demand, and higher interest rates, especially in Hong Kong, have throttled demand.

7.   Consequently, FAO says, the effect of a slight change in production on import demand and export supply could have relatively significant implications on prices.

8.   Despite falling exports, the IMF expects the current account, a measure of global trade, to remain in surplus due to weak import demand.

9.   Import demand in the UK also weakened as the pace of inventory build-up slackened.

10.   Modest import demand in many of our major markets, along with the strength of the US dollar, continued to restrain our export growth.