The country's exports reached a record high in April, but the trade deficit widened as rising energy prices pushed up import prices.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Sunday, the country's outbound shipments came to 57-point-69 billion U.S. dollars last month, up 12-point-six percent from a year earlier.

It marks the largest figure for any April since the nation began compiling related data in 1956. The combined exports for the first four months of the year surpassed 200 billion dollars for the first time.

Despite the strong export figures, the nation posted a trade deficit for the second straight month, widening the deficit to two-point-66 billion dollars in April from 140 million dollars in March.

The trade deficit is attributed to a spike in the country's import prices due to soaring global energy prices. In April, imports rose 18-point-six percent on-year to 60-point-35 billion dollars.

The nation's imports of energy products such as crude oil, natural gas and coal, came to 14-point-81 billion dollars in April, more than doubling from a year earlier.