Singapore has revised its forecast for this year's total trade growth downwards to between 5and 7 percent from the previous forecast of 8 to 10 percent, due to the slower-than-expected performance in the first half of this year and a sustained weakness in electronics sales.

International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, the government trade promotion agency, said in a statement on Tuesday that the revised forecast is also lower than last year's total trade growth of 13 percent.

The forecast for Singapore's non-oil domestic exports has also been trimmed to between 4 and 6 percent from the previous range of7 to 9 percent.

In the first half of this year, total trade rose by a moderate 2.8 percent, reaching 405 billion Singapore dollars (about 266 billion U.S. dollars). Both total exports and total imports increased by a weaker 3.1 percent and 2.3 percent respectively.

IE Singapore said that total trade growth in the first half of this year was lower than expected due to the slower expansion of both oil trade and non-oil trade.

"Growth of non-oil trade was also weak primarily because of sluggish electronics trade, which has been severely hit by falling selling prices even though demand held up well," it added.

Non-oil trade grew by 2.4 percent, compared to the 11 percent growth in 2006. Oil trade also expanded by 4.6 percent, weaker than the 25 percent rise in 2006, as oil prices grew moderately this year, IE Singapore said.

The key non-oil domestic exports (NODX) increased by 1.8 percent in the first six months, lower than the 8.5 percent growth registered last year, on an increase in non-electronic NODX as electronic domestic exports shrank.

Singapore's economy heavily relied on external trade and the monthly NODX figures reflect Singapore's mainstay exports.