Overseas Merchandise Trade Statistics, April 2011

Provisional data show that the value of Fiji’s imports for the month of April 2011 was $211.7 million, while domestic exports and total exports were $50.2 million and $103.2 million respectively

Compared to the previous corresponding month, imports decreased by $44.9 million (17.5%) and total exports decreased by $10.2 million (9.0%). Of the total exports, domestic exports decreased by $12.9 million (20.5%) whilst re-exports increased by $2.7 million (5.4%).

The April 2011 trade deficit amounted to $108.4 million compared to March’s $176.9 million.

Imports
For the month of April 2011, Live animals: animal products; Vegetable products; Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco; Mineral products; Chemicals and allied products; Plastics, rubber & articles therefore; Machinery, mechanical & electrical appliances & parts thereof and Vehicles, aircraft, vessels & associated transport equipment therefore comprised 80.2 per cent of imports. Of these:

• Mineral products contributed 18.8 per cent, of which gas oil (diesel) contributed 9.9 per cent, aviation turbine fuel 4.6 per cent and light oils & preparation 2.7 per cent
• Machinery, mechanical & electrical appliances & parts thereof contributed 15.3 per cent. Contributing to this increase were small increases in many items
• Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco contributed 9.3 per cent, of which sugar contributed 5.0 per cent, canned fish 0.4 per cent and cigarettes 0.4 per cent
• Vegetable products contributed 8.9 per cent, of which wheat and meslin contributed 4.0 per cent, semi-milled or wholly milled rice 0.9 per cent and potatoes 0.7 per cent
• Live animals: animal products contributed 8.8 per cent, of which fresh fish contributed 4.3 per cent and milk and cream 1.6 per cent
• Vehicles, aircraft, vessels & associated transport equipment contributed 7.4 per cent, of which parts of aeroplanes and helicopters contributed 1.4 per cent and fishing vessels 1.2 per cent
• Chemicals & allied products contributed 6.0 per cent. Contributing to this increase were small increases in many items
• Plastic rubber & articles therefore contributed 5.7 per cent, of which polymers of styrene in primary forms contributed 2.1 per cent

• Australia, down $17.5 million (28.0%) to $44.9 million due to imports of wheat and meslin
• Singapore, down $33.6 million (43.0%) to $44.7 million due to decreased imports of gas oil (diesel)
• New Zealand, down $3.2 million (7.2%) to $41.6 million due to decreased imports of butter
• Thailand, up $11.1 million (219.6%) to $16.2 million due to increased imports of sugar
• United States of America, up $3.2 million (35.4%) to $12.2 million due to increased imports of telephone line sets

For the month of April 2011, Live animals: animal products; Vegetable products; Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco; Wood, cork & articles thereof & plaiting materials; Textile & textile articles; Pearls, precious, semi-precious stones & metals and Base metals & articles therefore comprised 83.2 per cent of domestic exports. Of these:

• Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco contributed 33.4 per cent, of which mineral water contributed 22.9 per cent
• Textile & textile articles contributed 11.8 per cent, of which garments contributed 10.8 per cent
• Live animals: animal products contributed 10.9 per cent, of which fresh fish contributed 5.2 per cent
• Vegetable products contributed 10.7 per cent, of which dalo contributed 3.2 per cent and flour 1.8 per cent
• Base metal & articles therefore contributed 5.8 per cent, of which ferrous waste and scrap of iron or steel contributed 1.4 per cent, tungsten (wolfram) waste and scrap 1.0 per cent and lead waste and scrap 0.9 per cent
• Wood, cork & articles thereof & plaiting materials contributed 5.6 per cent, of which mahogany contributed 2.8 per cent and plywood contributed 0.5 per cent
• Pearls, precious, semi-precious stones & metals contributed 5.0 per cent of which gold contributed 4.9 per cent.

• United States of America, up $1.5 million (12.0%) to $13.6 million due to increased exports of mineral water
• Australia, down $3.1 million (20.6%) to $12.1 million due to decreased exports of gold
• New Zealand, down $0.6 million (9.8%) to $5.2 million due to decreased exports of medicaments
• Vanuatu, down $0.01 million (0.5%) to $2.1 million due to decreased exports of flour
• Hong Kong, up $0.3 million (25.2%) to $1.5 million due to increased exports of meals and pellets of aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans

Re-exports totaled $53.0 million. Petroleum products sold to visiting ships, aircrafts and to the neighbouring Pacific Island Countries earned $34.7 million.