ZAGREB, Nov 6 (Hina) - In the first nine months of 2003, Croatia exported goods totalling 30.13 billion kuna (US$4.4 billion), while imports were more than twice as big, totalling 69 billion kuna (almost $10.2 billion), read temporary
data of the Central Bureau of Statistics.
ZAGREB, Nov 6 (Hina) - In the first nine months of 2003, Croatia
exported goods totalling 30.13 billion kuna (US$4.4 billion),
while imports were more than twice as big, totalling 69 billion kuna
(almost $10.2 billion), read temporary data of the Central Bureau
of Statistics. #L#
The export-import ratio was at a low 43.6 percent, while the foreign
trade deficit reached almost 39 billion kuna or more than $5.7
billion.
Expressed in kuna, exports in the first nine months of this year
increased by 6.1 percent compared to the same period last year,
while imports rose by 12.2 percent. Expressed in dollars, exports
rose by 24.8 percent and imports by 31.8 percent. This difference is
the result of a 15 percent drop in the dollar exchange rate in
relation to the kuna in the said period.
Almost half the exports - 48.3 percent or $2.1 billion - refer to the
processing of customer-supplied goods. Regular exports totalled
$1.6 billion, accounting for 46.4 percent of all exports.
The Bureau's data nevertheless show that the value of regular
exports increased by 45.7 percent, while exports regarding the
processing of customer-supplied goods rose by a much lower 5.9
percent, compared to the same period last year.
In the structure of imports, regular imports accounted for the
largest portion - 87.3 percent or almost $8.9 billion, an increase
of 33.5 percent compared to last year.
More than one third of all imports, totalling $3.44 billion, were
intermediary goods, not including energy imports, which increased
by 31.9 percent. Capital goods imports totalled $3.33 billion, an
increase of 41.1 percent compared to last year.
The processing industry accounted for the most exports as well as
imports. Exports in the processing industry totalled more than $4.2
billion, an increase of 23.7 percent compared to last year. Imports
rose by 34.1 percent to almost nine billion US dollars.
The largest exports in the processing industry, totalling 559
billion dollars, were realised in the shipbuilding industry.
However, imports of means of transport other than ships saw the
biggest rise compared to last year, increasing by as much as 100.1
percent to $444.4 million.
According to the Standard International Trade Classification, most
of the exports in the first nine months were machines and means of
transport. They totalled $3.7 billion, which is a 40.5 percent
increase compared to the same period last year. The imports of road
vehicles rose by 44 percent (to $1.18 billion), while the import of
other transport equipment increased by as much as 105.1 percent (to
$392.4 billion).
Croatia's most important trade partner in this year's first ten
months were European Union countries, which accounted for more than
a half of all exports (almost $2.5 billion), as well as imports
(almost $5.8 billion).
Heading the list was Italy, where $1.22 billion worth of goods was
exported (an increase of 40.2 percent), and from where $1.86
billion worth of goods was imported (an increase of 34.8 percent).
After Italy, the second most important export market for Croatia
was Bosnia-Herzegovina, while the second biggest exporter in
Croatia was Germany.
Exports to Bosnia-Herzegovina totalled almost $650 million, which
is an increase of 27.5 percent, while imports totalled $159 million
(an increase of 33.7 percent).
Exports to Germany totalled slightly more than $545 million (an
increase of 22.6 percent), while imports amounted to $1.58 billion
(a 26.7 percent rise).
(hina) rml