Trade Deficit Hits $443 million

Myanmar suffered a trade deficit of $443 million in the first half (April-September) of the current 2013-14 fiscal year, official data shows.
During the period, Myanmar’s foreign trade totalled $10.65 billion, of which exports amounted to $5.1 billion, while imports stood at $5.55 billion, according to the Central Statistical Organisation.
Border trade comprised $1.42 billion of the total export, imports through border trade stood at $851 million.
However, Myanmar registered a trade surplus of $136.44 million in September, according to the statistical organisation.  
In the fiscal year 2012-13, Myanmar’s foreign trade totalled $18.42 billion, up $250 million, or 1.4 percent, compared with $18.17 billion in the previous fiscal year – exports accounted for $9.08 billion, while imports represented $9.34 billion.
Myanmar’s major export items include natural gas, jade, beans and pulses, rice, fish, rubber and teak, while import items include oil and gas, auto spare parts, iron and steel, palm oil, pharmaceutical products, plastics, fertiliser, cement and electronic equipment.