Provisional trade in goods balance for April 2013 registered a surplus of SBD$25 Million dollars from a revised deficit of SBD$108 million dollars in the previous month.
According to the Central Bank's Monthly Economic Bulletin for April 2013, the positive outcome was due to a recovery in exports that nearly doubled to SBD$309 million dollars combined with a 4 percent decline in imports to SBD$284 million dollars.
It states, the surge in export was driven by all major export commodities except for fish and sawn timber which fell by 6 percent to SBD$20 million dollars and 1 percent to SBD$7 million dollars respectively during the month.
The CBSI bulletin says this was a direct result of lower export volumes recorded for the two commodities as well as low international prices.
Other export commodities have also jumped to SBD$12 million from SBD$2 million in the previous month. This is due primarily to export shipments of beche-de-mer which comprised 72 percent of the total other exports category during the month.
The drop in total imports for the month was due to decline in imported fuel, food and basic manufactures.
CBSI bulletin for the month of April 2013 showed that fuel dropped by 16 percent to 74 million, basic manufactures down by 18 percent to 34 million and food by 16 percent to 63 million.
Meanwhile, imports on machineries and transport equipment slightly increased by 4% to SBD$84 million, chemicals by 26% to SBD$31 million, beverages and tobacco SBD$7 million from SBD$4 million, and miscellaneous items up to $20 million from SBD$12 million the previous month.