A total of Lm114.4 million worth of goods were imported into Malta in June this year, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.
This figure reflects an increase of Lm9.3 million when compared to June the previous year. Total exports also went up by Lm6.6 million to Lm77 million from the Lm70.4 million exported in June 2005.
The importation of industrial supplies decreased from Lm46.8 million to Lm44.9 million in June, a difference of Lm1.9 million. Capital goods imports also registered a decrease of Lm2.6 million to Lm18.5 million.
On the other hand, increases of Lm0.8 million and Lm13.0 million were registered in the importation of consumer goods and fuel and lubricants respectively.
Between January and June 2006, total imports increased by Lm68.2 million or 10.9 per cent to Lm692.3 million from Lm624.1 million for the same period of last year. Imports of industrial supplies also increased by Lm28.7 million, or 10.1 per cent to Lm313.2 million.
The importation of capital goods also went up to Lm130.6 million, representing an increase of Lm17.6 million or 15.6 per cent. At the same time, consumer goods imports increased by Lm9.0 million, or 5.3 per cent, from Lm168.8 million to Lm177.8 million, while imports of fuel and lubricants registered an increase of Lm12.9 million or 22.3 per cent.
In the period January-June 2006, total exports went by Lm57.3 million or 14.4 per cent to Lm453.7 million from Lm396.4 million of the same period of 2005.
During June 2006, the visible trade gap widened by Lm2.7 million to Lm37.4 million from Lm34.7 million of the same month of 2005, with the overall visible trade gap for the first six months of 2006 widening by Lm10.9 million to Lm238.6 million, from Lm227.7 million reported in the period January-June 2005.
In the first six months of 2006, the European Union remained Malta’s main trading partner, with arrivals reaching Lm464.0 million or 67.0 per cent of total imports, of which Lm382.2 million or 82.4 per cent originating from the Euro Zone Area.
The main trading partners within the EU were Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany and France with Lm195.7 million, Lm66.7 million, Lm57.8 million and Lm51.4 million respectively.
Imports from Asia totalled Lm115.4 million, or 16.7 per cent of total imports. Lm30.3 million worth was imported from Singapore, followed by China with Lm19.0 million, Japan with Lm15.3 million and Malaysia with Lm12.2 million.
Figures indicate that imports from North and Central American countries totalled Lm49.8 million or 7.2 per cent, of which Lm45.6 million coming from the United States, while at the same time imports from other European countries reached Lm29.4 or 4.2 per cent.
Total dispatches to the European Union for the period January-June 2006 amounted to Lm233.0 million, representing 51.4 per cent of the total figure for exports, of which Lm171.0 million or 73.4 per cent dispatched to the Euro Zone Area.
France, with Lm67.5 million, followed by Germany with Lm58.5 million, the United Kingdom with Lm45.9 million and Italy with Lm16.7 million were the four prime partners within the EU. Exports to Asia stood at Lm119.0 million, or 26.2 per cent, while those to North and Central America reached Lm63.7 million, or 14.0 per cent, the NSO said.