Champassak exports surge, imports fall
Champassak exports surge, imports fall
Champassak provincial Industry and Commerce Department has reported that the value of its exports exceeded the amount targeted for fiscal year 2012-13, while the value of imports declined.
The department reported on Tuesday that exports exceeded 1 trillion kip (US$131.33 million) - 21 percent higher than the figure cited in the province's plan for last fiscal year, which ended on September 30. This amount was also 35 percent higher than the export value in the previous fiscal year.
A department official said “We have watched the value of exports growing. We attribute this to improvements made by the provincial administration in the management of product movement, which has given the department more accurate figures.”
Another cause has been the rise in coffee exports and the start of rubber harvesting for export after trees were planted several years ago on 27,000 hectares of land. This will also drive up next year's export figures, the official said.
Champassak sells most of its coffee to Europe, Japan and Vietnam, while selling rubber to Vietnam, rice to the EU, China, Singapore and Indonesia, and vegetables to Thailand.
The report noted that agricultural products worth about US$97.35 million comprised by far the largest segment of exports, at about 74 percent of the total.
The province's main export is coffee. Last fiscal year, about 34,113 tonnes worth US$83 million - equalling 63 percent of the export value – was sold overseas. This represents a 26 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.
Wood products worth US$2 million accounted for 1.6 percent of total exports – an increase of 49 percent over the previous year.
The export value of industrial products was estimated at US$31.85 million, accounting for 24 percent of the total and representing a three-fold increase over the previous year.
Another main export was 9,935 tonnes of rubber worth US$26 million, which accounted for 20 percent of total exports and 82 percent of industrial products exported.
Forest products worth US$93,093 were exported, but accounted for only 0.07 of the total. Nevertheless, this figure was 21 percent higher than that cited in the plan and 46 percent up on the previous year. This category included pears and cardamom.
Meanwhile, the value of imports fell last fiscal year largely because more construction materials were being produced locally, including roofing tiles, steel, barbed wire and some household equipment.
Goods worth over 748.87 billion kip (US$96.01 million) in total were imported, amounting to 81 percent of the plan and a 30 percent decrease from the previous year.
The main products imported were fuel and construction equipment from Thailand and Vietnam.
Imports included items for local consumption worth US$58.63 million and accounting for 61 percent of total imports and equivalent to 99 percent of the amount targeted. The value was about 5 percent hig her than the previous year.
Fuel was the province's main import, worth US$24.73 million and accounting for 42 percent of all imports destined for local supply. This figure was 79 percent of the value targeted and was down 15 percent on the previous year.
vientiane times
