April value exports increase Gold

Senior Business Reporter
The value of exports increased in April to US$587,3 million from US$557,6 million in the previous month with South Africa remaining as the major trading partner, the latest Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) data shows.

During the period under review, imports decreased by 10,7 percent to US$637,2 million from US$713,8 million in March.
The external trade report says semi-manufactured gold topped exports.

“Data for April 2022 shows that Zimbabwe’s main exports were semi manufactured gold (30,1 percent), nickel mattes including platinum group of minerals (PGMs) (22,8 percent), nickel ores and concentrates (14,7 percent) tobacco (11,5 percent), industrial diamonds (5,0 percent), ferro-chromium (4,7 percent), platinum unwrought or in powder form (2,4 percent) and coke and semi coke (1,4 percent),”reads part of the report.

In the period under review, the country also exported 2 963 kilogrammes of semi manufactured gold valued at US$176,9 million, compared to 2 200 kilogrammes valued at US$135,5 million in March.

The country exported 1,150.1 tonnes of nickel mattes valued at US$133,9 million, compared to 1,009.5 tonnes valued at US$110,2 million in March.

Industrial diamonds exports recorded a drop from 148 kilogrammes valued at US$45,2 million in March, 2021 to 103 kilogrammes of industrial diamonds valued at US$29,2 million in April 2022.

The report says mineral fuels and mineral oil products remained as major imports which stood at 22,1 percent in April 2022, compared to 17,1 percent in the previous month.

Machinery and equipment imports stood at 13,1 percent in April 2022.

Other imports in April 2022 included vehicles (8,3 percent), electrical machinery (4,9 percent), plastics (4,5 percent), cereals mostly rice (3,6 percent), animal and vegetable oils and fats (2,8 percent), pharmaceuticals (2,7 percent), paper and paper products (1,9 percent), and fertilisers (1,6 percent).

Diamond – Image taken from Shutterstock

Cereal imports including maize increased from 1,7 percent in March to 3,6 percent in April.

Rice, which makes the bulk of cereal imports, constituted 1,3 percent in March compared to 2,5 percent in April.
South Africa remained Zimbabwe’s major trading partner.

“In April 2022, exports to South Africa were 40,6 percent compared to 42,9 percent in March 2022. Exports to the United Arab Emirates constituted 34,1 percent in April 2022 compared to 31,3 percent in March, 2022.”

The value of exports to China increased to 9,9 percent in April , from 5,9 percent in March.

Exports to Mozambique constituted 4,3 percent in April being a decline from 7,1 percent in March. The proportion of exports to Belgium was 1,2 percent in April , compared to 2,1 percent in March.

The report said imports from South Africa slightly increased to 43,8 percent in April from 42,0 percent in the previous month.
Imports from Singapore increased to 16,4 percent in April, compared to 12,6 percent in March while imports from China increased to 13,6 percent in April 2022 from 11,6 percent in March.

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