Provisional data for international trade show that the visible trade gap in September stood at €108.7 million, up by €93.1 million when compared to the corresponding month last year. In the first nine months this year, the visible trade gap widened by €359.9 million, to stand at €1,594.1 million, the National Statistics Office said today.

In September, there was an increase in imports of €34.2 million, while exports registered a decrease of €59.0 million. The increase in the value of imports was primarily due to mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials, with other increases registered for beverages and tobacco, machinery and transport equipment, and animal and vegetable oils and fats. Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials accounted for the main decrease in the value of exports when compared to the corresponding month in 2011. A decrease was also registered for chemicals while all other commodity groups registered increases.

In the first nine months this year, the visible trade gap widened by €359.9 million, to stand at €1,594.1 million. The increase in imports of €1,151.9 million was mainly due to mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials. Increases were also registered for food, beverages and tobacco, miscellaneous manufactured articles, crude materials, and animal and vegetable oils and fats. The rise in the value of exports of €792.1 million was primarily due to mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials. Other increases were noted in machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, miscellaneous manufactured articles, beverages and tobacco, and food.

A substantial amount of Malta’s trade flows and consequent trade deficit continued to be directed towards the European Union. Increases were registered in imports from Italy, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany, while there were decreases from France, and the United Kingdom. Exports to the European Union went up, mainly to France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. Other increases in exports were recorded for Libya, Turkey, the United States of America, and Taiwan.

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