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NEWS RELEASE
EXTERNAL TRADE BULLETIN
January to September 2011
January 27, 2012
Expenditure on merchandise imports during January to September 2011 was
valued at US$4,868.2 million. Imports grew by US$1,102.4 million or 29.3 per
cent when compared to the same period in 2010. Earnings
from total exports amounted to US$1,252.2 million a 26.3 per cent growth over
the comparable period or by US$260.8 million. The trade deficit during January
to September 2011 was US$3,616.0 million, compared to US$2,774.4 million in the
same period for 2010.
During January to September 2011 imports from the United
States of America (USA) were valued at US$1,614.0
million, compared to US$1,343.6 million in the 2010 period. Goods worth US$656.6
million were exported to that country during the 2011 review period, up from the
US$514.7 million recorded in the comparable period. At the end of the 2011
review period the trade deficit with this country stood at US$957.4 million,
moving up from US$828.9 million in the similar period in 2010.
The US$1,102.4 million or 29.3 per cent growth in imports during the
nine-month period of 2011 was largely attributed to the increased expenditure on
“Mineral Fuels, Etcetera”, “Manufactured Goods” “Food”
“Chemicals” and “Machinery & Transport Equipment”. Imports of “Mineral Fuels,
etcetera” rose by US$692.5million or 59.4 per cent to US$1,857.5 million.
“Manufactured Goods” increased by US$68.2 million or 16.0 per cent to US$494.7
million. Imports of “Machinery and Transport Equipment” rose by US$125.7 million
or 21.7 per cent to US$705.9 million. Expenditure on “Food” increased by US$80.7
million or 13.4 per cent to US684.4 million during January to September 2011.
“Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles” was valued at US334.1 million, with
spending down by US$10.2 million or 3.0 per cent below that recorded in the
comparable 2010 period.
Traditional Domestic Exports during the 2011 review period
rose by US$198.6 million or 42.7 per cent to US$664.1 million in the first nine
months of 2011 “Agriculture” fell by 9.9 per cent or US$2.2 million to US$20.0
million due to the decline in earnings from “Coffee”, ‘Cocoa” and “Pimento”.
“Citrus” grew by 18.0 per cent to US$1.8 million. “Mining and Quarrying” rose by
51.9 per cent or US$185.1 million to US$541.3 million. “Alumina” was the major
contributor to this overall increase in earnings of US$435.3 million.
Up from up from US$256.7 million an
increase of 69.6 per cent.Non-Traditional Domestic Exports for the first nine months rose by 13.1 per cent or US$60.7 million to
US$524.3 million.
During January to September 2011 Jamaica
imported US$845.1 million worth of goods from CARICOM partners, an increase of
57.0 per cent or US306.8 million. “Minerals Fuels Etcetera” increased by 76.6
per cent or US$285.6 million to US$658.7 million. . There were also increases in
the value of “Food”, “Chemicals”,
Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles” as well as Machinery and Transport
Equipment” in the review period. These were valued at US$102.2 million, US$17.1
million, US$9.6 million and US$9.0 million respectively.
Total exports to the region fell marginally by US$0.6 million or 1.3 per
cent to US$ 49.9 million during the review period.
Domestic exports accounted for US$43.5
million, down from US$43.9 million in the 2010 period. The major groups exported
were “Food” which grew by US$2.0 million, to US$20.7 million. “Chemicals”
increased marginally by US$0.4 million to US$10.6 million and “Beverages and
Tobacco” increased to US$7.1 up from US$4.7 million. Exports of “Miscellaneous
Manufactured Articles” and “Manufactured Goods” exported to CARICOM were lower
in the review period, US$2.7 million and US$0.8 million respectively. Re-exports
fell by US$0.2 million to US$6.3 million. Jamaica’s trade deficit with CARICOM
stood at US$795.2 million moving from US$487.7 million in the 2010 period, an
increase of US$307.5 million or 63.0 per cent.
The January to September 2011 External Trade Bulletin outlines additional information and may be obtained at our Distribution
Office, 7 Cecelio Avenue
Kingston
10.
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