RACHNA LAL
Suva
Sugar continued to be one of the drivers for our increased exports in the month of June, a report from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics has highlighted.
The bureau indicated provisional data put the total value of goods exported in June at $201.5 million, an increase of $60.5 million (42.9 per cent) compared to June 2013.
The ‘Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco’ category noted a 102.1 per cent increase when compared to June 2013, from $29.1 million to $58.5 million, attributed mainly to increased sugar exports.
As a result of this increased sugar exports, our exports into the United Kingdom went up to $34.4 million, an increase of 17,100 per cent.
However, exports into the USA went down by $1.9 million because of decreased fresh fish exports.
Also, our exports into Australia decreased by $14.6 million (58.6 per cent) because of decreased gold exports.
Vanuatu was also down by $1.1 million (28.2 per cent) as a result of decreased exports of other biscuits except sweet biscuits.
Imports and trade deficit
Meanwhile, the value of goods imported in June was $491.9 million, an increase of $146.9 million (42.6 per cent) compared to the previous corresponding month.
The exports less imports figures have led to a trade deficit of $290.4 million, compared to $164 million a month earlier which is also the highest for this year so far.
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