Tanzania’s Current account deficit narrows in July
The current account registered a deficit of USD 1,866.1
million, which narrowed substantially compared with a deficit of USD 4,778.9
million in the corresponding period in 2015. This was largely explained by an
increase in exports of goods and services coupled with a decline in imports of
goods and services. The Monthly Economic Review for August published by Bank of
Tanzania shows that the value of exports of goods and services grew by 7.5
percent to USD 9,810.4 million from the level recorded in the year ending July
2015.
Improved performance was recorded in the export values of
travel, manufactured goods and gold while traditional exports declined.
“The performance of most of the traditional export crops
continued to be relatively low. The value of traditional exports was USD 755.9
million, a decrease of 16.0 percent from the level recorded in the year ending
July 2015,” says a report.
The decline was driven by a fall in export volumes and
prices of some traditional exports. The value of tobacco and cashew nuts
dropped due to a fall in both volumes and unit prices, while cotton recorded
low export value due to a decline in export volume.
The fall in unit prices of most of the commodities was
consistent with the general price movement in the world market. On the other
hand, export values of tea and sisal recorded increases owing to a rise in both
volumes and unit prices while that of coffee and cloves was positively affected
by only export volumes as prices declined.
Non-traditional exports was USD 4,602.8 million in the year
ending July 2016 compared with USD 4,000.1 million in the corresponding in
2015. The outturn was on account of good performance in the export of minerals,
manufactured goods, re-exports and the category of “other exports1”.
Mineral exports particularly gold showed some recovery by
registering a positive growth on account of export volumes as prices remained
low. Gold exports was USD 1,364.4 million compared with USD 1,266.7 million in
the year ending July 2015.
Manufactured goods exports increased by 12.6 percent to USD
1,448.7 million with notable increase in textile apparels, edible oil, plastic
items as well as iron and steel products. The increase in manufacturing exports
is consistent with booming of manufacturing activities in the economy which has
been growing at an average of 6.6 percent for the past three years since 2013.
Services receipts was USD 3,647.9 million compared with USD
3,493.7 million in the year ending July 2015, emanating from increase in
receipts from travel and transport services .
The receipts from travel increased slightly to USD 2,045.6
million from USD 2,010.1 million in the year ending July 2015 as the number of
tourist arrivals remained broadly the same.
Moreover, receipts from transport increased by 15.4 percent
to USD 1,122.8 million on account of increase in the volume of transit goods.
The value of import of goods and services was USD 11,003.4
million in the year ending July 2016, a decline of 18.3 percent compared to the
value recorded in the corresponding period in 2015. All categories of goods
import recorded a decline .
The decline was due
to depreciation of the shilling, which made imports relatively more expensive,
as well as substitution of oil for gas in power generation.
Other factors are related to weakening of the global trade,
in part explained by sluggish global economic activity particularly the
downturn in industrial production in China as well as decline in global prices
for most of the commodities including oil.
During the year ending July 2016, the value of oil import,
which is the dominant item in goods import, declined by 11.0 percent to USD
2,774.1 million due to a fall in prices in the world market despite the
increase in volume of imported oil.
The volume of imported refined petroleum products (petrol,
diesel, kerosene and heavy furnace oil) increased marginally to 2.05 million
metric tons in the year ending July 2016 compared with 2.03 million metric
tons, while the prices in the world market fell to USD 535.9 per metric ton
from USD 728.5 per metric ton in the corresponding period in 2015.
end
Maoni
Chapisha Maoni