Georgia’s foreign trade turnover was USD 2.24 billion in the first quarter of 2012, a 17% increase from year earlier with trade deficit widening to USD 1.16 billion, a 17.4% increase year-on-year, Georgian state statistics office, Geostat, said on April 24.
Exports amounted to USD 539 million in January-March 2012, up 16% y/y and imports rose 17% y/y, totaling USD 1.7 billion.
Georgia’s trade turnover with members of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) increased 7% y/y in the first quarter reaching USD 715 million making its share in Georgia’s foreign trade 32%.
Trade turnover with the EU-member states increased to USD 621 million in the first quarter, up 26% y/y, making its share in Georgia’s total foreign trade 28%.
Turkey remains Georgia’s largest foreign trade partner with USD 324.18 million, followed by Azerbaijan – USD 281.9 million; Germany – USD 163.1 million; Ukraine – USD 161.2 million; China – USD 125 million; Russia – USD 121.8 million; the United States – USD 94.7 million; Bulgaria – USD 83.2 million; Japan – USD 62.9 million; Kazakhstan – USD 61.6 million.
Re-export of cars amounted to 19.6% of the country’s total exports with USD 105.49 million in the first quarter of 2012, followed by ferroalloys with USD 59.2 million, making its share in total export 11%; nuts – USD 40.38 million (7.5%); copper – USD 20.3 million (3.8%); nitrogen fertilizer – USD 19.7 million (3.7%); non-denatured ethyl alcohol and spirits – USD 18.6 million (3.5%); raw or semi-processed gold – USD 17.7 million (3.3%); scrap metal – USD 17.4 million (3.2%); re-export of truck vehicles – USD 14.7 million (2.7%); wheat – USD 11.7 million (2.2%).
Oil products topped the list of imports totaling USD 181.3 million making its share in total imports 10.6%; followed by cars with USD 154.3 million (9%); hydrocarbons – USD 104.5 million (6.1%); wheat – USD 52.7 million (3.1%); medicines – USD 43.6 million (2.6%); computers – USD 24.9 million (1.5%); vans and buses – USD 24.4 million (1.4%); electricity – USD 22.3 million (1.3%); mobile and other wireless phones – USD 22 million (1.3%).