EXPORTS AND imports dropped in December, and the SA trade account recorded its third surplus for 2005, according to the latest figures from Statistics SA. On a month-on-month basis, exports slipped down by 2.7% to R29.6-billion, while imports dropped by 23.3% to R25.7-bn – with the trade deficit of R3.1-bn in November changing to a surplus of R3.86-bn in December.