Lower imports aid trade surplus surplus

KEIKANTSE LESEMELA
Correspondent | Friday August 2, 2013 00:00

The figures show that within both imports and exports, lower diamond inflows and outflows were behind trends in May.During the month, diamond imports fell 37 percent to P1.4 billion, while exports were down 28 percent to P4.09 billion.Under the De Beers' arrangement, Botswana imports rough diamonds from mines in Namibia, South Africa and Canada for sorting and valuing locally, before the stones are exported.As a result, Statistics Botswana records diamonds as both imports and exports.

According to data, for May imports, diamonds contributed 27.1 percent (P1,360.1 million) to total imports (P5,024.8 million) during the month, followed by Fuel with 15.3 percent (P768.6 million). Machinery & Electrical Equipment contributed 12.4 percent (P623.0 million) followed by Vehicles & Transport Equipment and Food, Beverages & Tobacco with 10.8 percent (P543.1 million) and 10.1 percent (P505.9 million) respectively. Chemicals & Rubber Products contributed 9.0 percent (P451.4 million).

Copper/Nickel exports and Meat & Meat Products contributed 9.1 percent (P456.3 million) and 2.0 percent (P98.3 million) respectively, while Machinery & Electrical Equipment (mainly re-exports) contributed 1.9 percent (P98.1 million) to total exports during the month under review. 'Since Statistics Botswana receives new data on  monthly basis, and there is continuous data editing as various tables and reports are produced, the database is therefore updated from time to time,' the agency explained.' As a result of editing, revision of data on previous monthly digests, for subsequent months, and that on the current monthly digest may differ.'The statistics body further added: 'Data for imports and exports of goods is currently complete up to February 2013. Data for March and April 2013 is from borders with automated facilities only, constituting 98 percent of total trade in value terms'.