According to Maldives Customs Service, the imports to the country inclusive of fuel increased by 90% in September 2021 when compared with the corresponding period in 2020.
On the other hand, exports from the Maldives observed a decline of 13% while the major export commodities of the country include yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, skipjack or stripe-bellied bonito, yellowfin tuna chunk and yellowfin tuna loins.
Major export destinations from the Maldives include Thailand with 42% of the total exports made to the country, Germany with 12% of the total exports, UK with 10%, France with 5% and Italy with 4%.
Furthermore, major importing categories to the Maldives include machinery and mechanical appliances, fuel, food items, products of chemical and base metal and articles of base metal.
As per the statistics for September 2021, Oman is the top importer to the Maldives with 17% of the total imports coming from the country while China stood in second spot with 13% of the imports shared, India with 12%, UAE with 12% and Singapore covering 9% of the total imports.
Moreover, Customs recorded a total of 103 vessel arrivals and 130 departures during the review month.