Belarus exports 9.5% more food in Jan-May
MINSK. July 17 (Interfax) - Belarus increased food exports 9.5% year-on-year in January-May 2012 to $1.72 billion and imports increased 2.6% to $853.3 million, the National Statistics Committee reported.
Belarus posted a food goods trade surplus of $862.8 million in January-May.
Average prices for exported food goods fell 5.9% and for imported food goods - 4%. The actual volume of exports grew 16.4% and imports - 6.9%.
The value of food exports grew as a result of a rise in the cost of sausage and similar meat products (by $58.7 million), poultry ($39.5 million), vegetable oil ($42.5 million), milk and cream ($27.6 million), white sugar ($19.5 million), milk whey ($15.1 million), and apples ($14.8 million).
Also up was the cost of imports for pork (by $72.4 million), apples ($20.6 million), tomatoes ($6 million), bananas ($5.2 million) and fish fillet ($4.2 million).
Food exports accounted for 8.2% of Belarusian exports in January-May, compared to 10.2% in the first five months of 2011. The share of food in exports of consumer goods rose to 54.3% from 50.7%.
Meat and dairy products remained the main Belarusian export foods. The Belarusian Statistics Service said that Belarus exported 317,100 tonnes of milk and dairy products in January-May, up 23.4% year-on-year, and 116,600 tonnes of meat and meat products, up 11.8%.
Food goods made up 4.4% of total imports (corresponding to the level in 2011) and 40.4% of consumer goods imports (24.6%).
Among the main imports were vegetable oil (41,200 tonnes, down 7.7%) and frozen fish (44,500 tonnes, up 2.1%).
