MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's foreign trade fell sharply in the first quarter of this year compared with the first three months of 1998, the Interfax news agency reported Friday. The drop reflected the government's decision to devalue the ruble last August in response to internal pressure, making imports more expensive, and to the financial crisis in emerging markets. According to information from the State Statistics Committee published by Interfax, exports in the first quarter were $15.6 billion, down 15.5 percent from the year-earlier total. Imports, at $9.4 billion, were down 48.9 percent, the report said. The government also said inflation-adjusted per capita income fell 27.6 percent in the first four months of the year, compared with the year-earlier period, and real monthly wages dropped 38.5 percent. -=-=- 