Lower imports and exports registered
Malta's visible trade gap in March stood at €82.1 million, down by €14.5 million compared to the same month last year.
There was a decrease in imports of €58.8 million and a decrease in exports of €44.3 million.
The decrease in imports was mainly due to industrial supplies and fuel and lubricants. Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals and semi-manufactured goods accounted for the decrease in exports when compared to the same month last year.
During the first quarter, the visible trade gap shrank by €3.2 million, to stand at €297.1 million.
This came about because of a decrease of €174.5 million in imports and a decrease of €171.3 million in exports.
The decline in imports was mainly due to machinery and transport equipment and mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials.
Decreases were also registered in miscellaneous manufactured articles, semi-manufactured goods and chemicals.
During this period the drop in exports was primarily due to machinery and transport equipment. Other drops were registered in chemicals, miscellaneous manufactured articles, food and semi-manufactured goods. The bulk of Malta’s trade flows and consequent trade deficit continued to be directed towards the European Union.
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P. Schembri
May 9th 2009, 00:05
@Edwin Formosa. Are you stuck in a time warp or what? We're in 2009 and not 1981. Scaremongering is your only weapon. But it's not working anymore. People are learning, and people have changed. It's the PN who's stuck in the past.
And of course as the PN was the one who profited from such actions, it will continue give us more of the same, hoping that people will act the same way they acted in the past.
Dominic Vella
May 8th 2009, 14:38
Who cares about the visible trade gap? It tends to shrink in advance of a slow down and grow in advance of a rebound when companies start ordering raw materials and imports rise. More important is that exports decreased by 32.4 per cent, from €529 million to €357.7 million between January and March 2009.
Why go to the expense of collecting this data if we can't discuss it sensibly, even if that is embarrassing to the government?
edwin formosa
May 8th 2009, 13:02
@Lewis Balzan Ghandek xorfti qed tghix dan iz-zmien u mhux bhalna ta zmien ir-regim li halleina bla dawl u bla ilma, edukazzjoni herba mill-primarja sat-terzjarja ( altru milli stipendji), tobba maltin imkeccijja, telephone jew TV bi pjacir ta xi 'habib laburista' j vjolenza laburista kulljum u kullimkien. 'CURSE' veru kien dak iz-zmien habib, mhux hallucinazzjoni .
Joe Galea
May 8th 2009, 12:45
Par Idejn Sodi
Finanzi fis-Sod
Flimkien ingibu aktar xoghol
......................................................Xejn Sew...GonziPN
P.CASSAR
May 8th 2009, 12:36
THIS SERIOUS NEGATIVE ASPECT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHSAND IT IS THE SECTION LEAST COMMENTED ON. PN BLOGGERS PREFER TO COMMENT ON MUCH LESS SERIOUS ASPECTS BUT WE ALL WISH FOR SERIOUS COMMENTS FROM THEM ON THIS ISSUE. LET'S WAIT AND SEE.
r ferriggi
May 8th 2009, 12:34
referring to the first comments below...(i assure you that i am certainly not the government's fan) ,,,,,,,,,, but WHAT DOES THIS STATISTIC have to do with the government ??!!
so,,,you think that JM will solve the world crisis ? :))
anyways,,,my message is : i hope that the importers who have become millionaires in the past give a break to the population and decrease their prices.
Galea. L
May 8th 2009, 12:05
Lewis Balzan
As has been said years ago, the PN is the curse of Malta.
Lewis Balzan
May 8th 2009, 11:42
And blame it on our two woes: recession and the greater evil, GonziPN.