• Exports decline by 46.5% • Imports down by 26.5 in April

The latest figures provided by the country’s data-collecting agency, Statistics Botswana, show that during the month of April exports significantly went down.

During the month of April this year, exports were valued at P4.8 billion, a massive 46.5 percent decline from the March value of P9 billion.

Still, in April, imports were valued at P6.7 billion, reflecting a decline of 26.5 percent from the P9.2 billion recorded in the previous month.

In April, the leading commodity group was diamonds, which accounted for 27.9 percent of imports followed by fuel at 12.6 percent.

Other leading import commodities were vehicles and transport equipment, food, and beverages, and tobacco at 12.2 percent, and 11.9 percent respectively.

Diamonds also accounted for the majority of exports that left the country in April, contributing 89.6 percent to total exports.

The precious stones were followed by machinery and electrical equipment at 3.4 percent.

In terms of trading partner countries and regions, while Botswana imported goods worth P6.7 billion from across the globe, 68.3 percent of those goods were imported from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) region.

The top imported commodities from this region include diamonds at 19.1 percent, fuel at 17.1 percent, food, beverages, and tobacco at 16.2 percent.

However, the majority of these goods were from South Africa with 60.7 percent of those goods from SACU sourced from S.A. while Namibia contributed 7.4 percent to the overall imports from the region.

Following after Asia in terms of the origin of Botswana’s imports during April, as goods from the continent were valued at P927.6 million, representing 13.8 percent of April 2021 imports.

India, Russia, and China were the main sources of imports from Asia, having supplied 5.1 percent (P346.4 million), 3.2 percent (P214.0 million), and 2.6 percent (P173.4 million) respectively, of total imports during the month under review.

The European Union (EU) supplied Botswana with goods worth P608.3 million, accounting for 9 percent of total imports.

Botswana’s goods worth P4.8 billion went a different direction with 53.1 percent of them destined for Asia.

These exports mostly went to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, and Singapore, having received 20.5 percent (P989.8 million), 15.6 percent (P756.9 million), and 8.6 percent (P417.7 million) respectively, of total exports during the month under review.

Diamonds accounted for 99.9 percent of exports to UAE and 100 percent of exports to each of the other two countries.

Exports destined for the EU amounted to P1.3 billion or 27.8 percent with almost all of those goods going to Belgium.

The SACU region received exports valued at P606.9 million, representing 12.5 percent of total exports during the current period.