Balance-of-trade deficit at 1.6 bln USD
Exports over January-September 2007 totalled 922.5 mln USD, a 28.4% increase compared with the corresponding period last year.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, exports to the EU member states (EU–27) added up to 461.9 mln USD (by 29.8% more compared with January-September 2006), making up 50.1% of the total exports (49.5% in January-September 2006).
The CIS countries absorbed 41.0% of Moldova’s exports, importing goods worth 378.7 mln USD. Exports to these countries rose by 24.8% compared with the same period of 2006.
Exports to Russia totalled 159.4 mln USD or by 12% more than last year, the same period. Among other key partners are Romania, which imported Moldovan goods worth 142.3 mln USD (+35.3%), Ukraine – 117.5 mln USD (+34.2%), Italy - 99.6 mln USD (+17.9%), Germany – 58 mln USD (+ 1.8 times), Belarus – 57.5 mln USD (+19.0%), Poland – 31 mln USD (+46.3%) etc.
Exports of food products, drinks and tobacco over January-September 2007 fell by 20.5 mln USD (-10.4%) compared with the corresponding period 2006, causing a 2.8% decrease in the total exports. Among this group of products, the exports of alcoholic drinks decreased by 39.3%. The halt in wine exports to Russia resulted in a significant fall in the supplies of wine (-60.9%), vermouth (-60.7%) and wine materials (-21.1%).
At the same time, the exports of textiles and textile products rose by 21.8%, contributing to a 4.9% increase in the total exports. The exports of clothing items and accessories from this group made up 11.2% of the total exports. Exports of vegetal products increased by 33.5%. In particular, the exports of comestible fruit, oleaginous fruit and seeds rose by 44.7% and, respectively, 37.3%, making up 5.4% and 4.5% of the total exports.
Imports during January-September 2007 added up to about 2.5 bln USD, a 37.2% increase compared with the corresponding period of 2006. Imports to the EU member states totalled 1.14 bln USD (+39.7%), making up 45.4% of the imports (44.6% in January-September 2006). Imports from the Commonwealth of Independent States came to 926.1 mln USD (+31.5%), or 36.6% of the total imports.
The considerable discrepancy between exports and imports contributed to the formation of a balance-of-trade deficit of 1.6 bln mln USD in January-September 2007. This figure is by 482.6 mln USD (+42.9%) higher than the one for the same period of 2006. Moldova had a negative balance of trade of 687.3 mln USD with the European Union and of 547.4 mln USD with the CIS states.