External Trade
In April this year, total imports reached Lm109.0 million. This figure is Lm2.9 million more when compared to April 2005, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday.
The importation of industrial supplies increased by Lm1.3 million to Lm48.3 million. On the other hand, imports of capital goods and consumer goods both registered falls of Lm1.5 million and Lm0.9 million respectively, when compared to the figures for last year.
At the same time, imports of fuel and lubricants increased by Lm4.0 million, from Lm12.4 million last year to Lm16.4 million this year.
In the month under review, total exports showed an increase of Lm5.7 million to Lm72.8 million, from Lm67.1 million in April last year.
Merchandise Trade: January-April
Total imports for the period January-April 2006 increased by Lm49.3 million, or 12.4 per cent, to Lm447.4 million from Lm398.1 million for the same period last year.
Imports of industrial supplies increased by Lm12.5 million, or 6.7 per cent, to Lm199.2 million, with the importation of capital goods also going up to Lm90.5 million, representing an increase of Lm22.9 million or 33.9 per cent. Meanwhile, imports of consumer goods rose by Lm6.6 million or 6.2 per cent, from Lm105.7 million to Lm112.3 million. Imports of fuel and lubricants rose by Lm7.3 million or 19.2 per cent.
In the period January-April 2006, total exports increased by Lm36.6 million, or 14.4 per cent, to Lm290.4 million from Lm253.8 million in the same period of 2005.
Visible Trade Gap
During April 2006 the visible trade gap narrowed by Lm2.8 million to Lm36.2 million from Lm39.0 million of the same month of 2005, while the overall visible trade gap for the first four months of 2006 widened by Lm12.7 million to Lm157.0 million from Lm144.3 million reported in the period January-April 2005.
Direction of Trade
During the first four months of 2006, arrivals from European Union countries reached Lm292.6 million or 65.4 per cent of total imports. The main trading partners in the EU were Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, with Lm125.6 million, Lm42.7 million, Lm36.1 million and Lm32.2 million respectively. Imports from Asia totalled Lm71.9 million, or 16.1 per cent of total imports, with Singapore registering Lm18.2 million followed by Japan with Lm10.9 million and China with Lm9.7 million.
Figures indicate that imports from North and Central American countries totalled Lm35.9 million, or 8 per cent, of which Lm32.0 million came from the United States, while those from other European countries reached Lm20.1 million, or 4.5 per cent.
Total dispatches to the European Union for the period January-April 2006 amounted to Lm143.2 million, representing 49.3 per cent of the total figure for exports. France, with Lm41.4 million, followed by Germany with Lm37.6 million and the United Kingdom with Lm28.7 million, were the three main partners in the EU. Exports to Asia stood at Lm79.7 million, or 27.4 per cent, while those to North and Central America reached Lm44.4 million, accounting for 15.3 per cent