Soviet trade with West in sharp gain, UN says

Soviet exports to the West rose by 19 percent in the first half of 1982, after falling in the two previous years, a United Nations report said.

Western exports to the Soviet Union - largely of grain and other food - also continued rising rapidly, from 8 percent in 1980 to 16 percent in 1981, the UN Commission for Europe said. The increase in Soviet trade with the West was due mostly to a faster flow of oil and natural gas pipeline shipments. The report also cited Soviet gold sales as an important factor.