[?] Surprises In Fiji Trade Report

Fiji Trade Report

Fiji Trade Report for the mded last March 31 has few >es. tonnage of cargo landed in olony fell by 47,209 tons on B due to the credit squeeze was occasioned by a serious off in the main exports. The je of cargo exported or re ed fell by 62,111 tons. pite of this, however, import rose by £267,594. Some £142,000 s was derived from a new ind Customs Service Tax in ed last August. The total le collected by the Customs, , Port and Marine Department ip £442,222 and totalled 312. 3 unfavourable balance of trade amounted to £3,050,770, red with £227,520 in 1957-58 ‘5,166,192 in 1956—but these 3 give no clear pictifre of the trade, as the import figures e valuable equipment em ., for example, on the Nadi t job, which may later be re ed, and other similar capital iiture. re were substantial falls in due of the Colony’s main ex- Sugar was down by £55,847,

coconut products by £352 719 bananas by £176,292, and manganese ore by £47,218. Gold was up by £65,580, molasses by £12,783, cloth ing—a lot of which is exported to nearby Island territories—by £7,586, and other domestic produce by £7,670. The total value of exports was £14,551,957—d0wn £436,529 on 1957-58. The re-exports largely petroleum products and clothing rose by £97,919 to £2,306,859.

The Colony’s total trade—imports, exports, and re-exports—amounted to £32,154,684, which was greater by £1,950,192 than in 1957-58 and by £4,459,530 on the year before that.

The largest single item of import duty was derived from beer, the duty amounting to £51,679.