The Statistical Institute of Belize has released its latest trade statistics. According to their surveillance of external trade, imports for June 2021 are up by 82.4% - when compared to the same month last year - which was at the height of the COVID shutdown. But exports are down by 33.1% when compared to the same period last year.
Imports into the Commercial Free Zones have more than doubled. They increased from 13.4 million dollars in June 2020 to 31.7 million last month. This is due to bigger purchases of construction supplies. Imports of 'Machinery and Transport Equipment' also grew sharply by 65 percent.
Beverages and Tobacco also surged last month. That category increased from 19.3 million dollars in June 2020 to 43 million dollars in June 2021.
But, domestic exports are down. In June of last year, exports amounted to 42.1 million dollars; last month, exports decreased to 28.2 million dollars.
The SIB says that scheduling differences in exports of bulk sugar were the primary reason for this overall decline. Earnings from sugar were down by more than $12 million.
