The Philippine market for forklifts and parts showed continued growth in the second quarter, amid local economists' concerns of a looming crisis.

The Bureau of Import Services reported a 33 per cent increase in total materials handling equipment purchases between April and June, translating to about USD4 million worth of purchases.

The majority of the 185 imports were from Japan, which comprised USD1.7 million, or nearly half, of the growth posted in the second quarter. Other imports had come from the US, Taiwan and South Korea.

Meanwhile, 13 second quarter contracts, worth about USD200,000, more than doubled the value of imports from Singapore compared to the first quarter.

Surprisingly, no equipment was imported from European nations, which was previously a major import region.