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By Andualem Sisay - Capital
10 July, 2007
This year’s nine months total of foreign currency obtained from export items such as oilseeds, gold and other items that do not belong to major export items declined by 33.5 mln USD, when compared to the same period performance last year.
Oilseeds export performance of Ethiopia shows a decrease by around 11 mln USD. In nine months the country generated around 140 mln USD, whereas, this year for the same period it got abut 128.5 mln USD from the sector.
During this period, the foreign currency generated from other items, which do not belong to the major export items including gold has also shown decline of more than 13 mln USD, when compared to last year’s same period’s export performance. In nine months last year from these sectors, Ethiopia has obtained more than 78 USD, while this year for the same period the amount declined to 65 mln USD for the same period, according to a Budget Report distributed to the House of Representatives’ last week.
On the other hand, export of flowers has shown increments by about 29 mln USD with performance of 190 per cent when compared to the previous year. Last year the sector generated around 15 mln USD and this year for the same period it generated some 44 mln USD.
Coffee as usual is taking the lion’s share by generating more foreign exchange. This year it generated in nine months an additional 70 mln USD than last year for the same period. Coffee is followed by cereals, spices and oilseeds altogether.
Leather, skins, hides and leather products and tchat, being the fourth export item of the country, are also still dominant followed by meat products along with live animals and flower.
When compared to last year’s total nine months export, the country has shown increment by about 19 per cent by obtaining an additional around 123 mln USD. It has generated a total of some 645 mln USD in nine months and now this figure is increased to some 768 mln USD for the same period.
According to critics, contraband has played a great role in the decline shown in this year’s export income of Ethiopia. Regional Governments Heads at the first tax conference held in Adama, Oromia few months back, have also admitted the danger that contraband is causing to the export of the country by affecting business community that pay their taxes properly and the country as a whole.