Overseas Merchandise Trade Statistics, September 2009

Provisional data on Fiji’s total imports for the month of September 2009 was $260.8 million, domestic exports was $96.3 million and total exports was $124.8 million

Compared to the previous corresponding month, imports decreased by $64.5 million (19.8%) whilst total exports increased by $17.5 million (16.3%). Of the total exports, domestic exports increased by $30.0 million (45.3%) whilst re-exports decreased by $12.5 million (30.4%).

The September 2009 trade deficit amounted to $135.9 million.

Imports

For the month of September 2009, Mineral products, Machinery, mechanical & electrical appliances & parts thereof, Vegetable products, Chemicals & allied products, Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco and Live animals: animal products comprised 70.5 per cent of imports. Of these:

• Mineral products contributed 33.2 per cent, of which, aviation turbine fuel contributed 10.3 per cent, automotive diesel oil 7.9 per cent, industrial diesel oil 4.9 per cent, motor spirit 3.6 per cent and residual fuel oil 2.6 per cent
• Machinery, mechanical & electrical appliances & parts thereof contributed 9.9 per cent, of which, telephone sets contributed 0.7 per cent, automatic data processing machines & its parts 0.6 per cent, printing and photocopying machinery 0.6 per cent, electrical apparatus for switching and protecting electrical circuits 0.4 per cent, pumps for liquids 0.3 per cent and air-conditioning machines and its parts 0.2 per cent
• Vegetable products contributed 8.1 per cent, of which, wheat and meslin contributed 3.9 per cent, rice 1.1 per cent, potatoes 0.5 per cent and onions, shallots and garlic 0.4 per cent
• Chemicals & allied products contributed 7.2 per cent, of which, fertilizers contributed 1.5 per cent, medicaments 1.0 per cent, soap and organic surface active products 0.7 per cent, mixtures of odoriferous substances 0.4 per cent and perfumes and toilet waters 0.3 per cent
• Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco contributed 6.7 per cent, of which, sugar contributed 2.0 per cent, sauces and preparations thereof 0.5 per cent, undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength by volume of less than 80% 0.5 per cent and wine of fresh grapes 0.4 per cent
• Live animals: animal products contributed 5.4 per cent, of which, fresh fish contributed 1.5 per cent, concentrated milk & cream containing sugar 1.3 per cent, frozen meat of sheep 0.7 per cent and butter 0.4 per cent

• Singapore, down $11.3 million (11.5%) to $87.0 million due to the decrease in the import value and quantity of aviation turbine fuel and industrial diesel oil
• Australia, up $7.4 million (13.7%) to $61.8 million due to increased imports of wheat and meslin
• New Zealand, down $11.9 million (24.3%) to $37.0 million due to decreased imports of frozen meat of sheep, butter, toilet and facial tissue, flat-rolled products of iron and non-alloy steel and semi finished products of iron and non-alloy steel
• China – People’s Republic, down $5.4 million (27.0%) to $14.5 million due to decreased imports of telephone sets for cellular network and due to the import of factory ships for processing and preserving fisheries products in September 2008
• Thailand, down $5.3 million (34.9%) to $9.9 million due to decreased imports of rice and due to the import of polymers of styrene in primary form in September 2008

For the month of September 2009, Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco, Live animals: animal products, Textiles & textile articles and Vegetable products comprised 83.9 per cent of domestic exports. Of these:

• Prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits & tobacco contributed 55.6 per cent, of which, sugar contributed 35.6 per cent, water containing sweetening matter and other non-alcoholic beverages containing added sugar 6.4 per cent, molasses 6.2 per cent and sweet biscuits 3.4 per cent
• Live animals: animal products contributed 13.5 per cent, of which, fresh fish contributed 11.4 per cent
• Textiles & textile articles contributed 9.5 per cent, of which, garments contributed 8.5 per cent
• Vegetable products contributed 5.3 per cent, of which, taro contributed 1.8 per cent, flour 1.7 per cent and ginger 0.6 per cent

• United Kingdom, up $33.7 million (12156.3%) to $34.0 million due to the exports of sugar in September 2009
• Australia, down $0.5 million (3.6%) to $13.8 million due to decreased exports of garments
• United States of America, down $3.1 million (22.7%) to $10.5 million due to decreased exports of mineral water
• New Zealand, down $1.4 million (16.9%) to $6.9 million due to decreased exports of taro, coconut oil and garments
• Japan, down $0.6 million (8.1%) to $6.6 million due to decreased exports of woodchips

Re-exports totaled $28.5 million. Petroleum products sold to visiting ships, aircrafts and to the neighboring Pacific Island Countries earned $22.5 million.