Tiraspol, January, 16. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The State Customs Committee summed up the activities results in 2018.
Customs statistics show that Pridnestrovian foreign trade (including goods displaced by individuals and legal entities) during this period increased by 26 per cent compared with last year’s figures. Moreover, the volume of goods imported into Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic increased by 24 per cent, while export deliveries increased by 30 per cent, the press service of the State Customs Committee said.
“The positive dynamics of foreign economic activity (FEA) is largely due to the systemic approach on the part of the state leadership in addressing the issues of activating Pridnestrovie foreign trade relations. The customs department did its part and focused its efforts on speeding up customs procedures and removing unnecessary administrative barriers” - the State Customs Committee believes.
The dynamics of customs fees contribution to the republican budget was also positive. In 2018, more than 793 million PMR rubles were collected in state revenue, which is 33 per cent more than in 2017.
Last year, in the structure of PMR foreign trade, there were trade flows in the direction of the CIS countries prevailed. They accounted for 73 per cent of the total turnover. Accordingly, 27 per cent are from foreign countries. Foreign trade with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union is also more active, and makes up 33 per cent of Pridnestrovie foreign trade turnover. For comparison: trade with the countries of the European Union is fixed at 23 per cent of the total turnover.
The main trading partners of PMR in 2018 are the same: the Russian Federation with a share of 29 per cent of the total trade turnover of Pridnestrovie, Ukraine – 22 per cent and Moldova with a share of 17 per cent in the total trade. In addition, among the leading PMR partner countries there are Romania, trade with which accounts for 8 per cent of the country's total trade, Poland with a share of 5 per cent, the Republic of Belarus – 3 per cent and Italy – 2 per cent of the country's total trade.
In 2018, economic agents were tasked to increase exports to the Russian Federation by the President of Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Significant progress was observed in this direction. The total trade turnover of Pridnestrovie with the Russian Federation compared with 2017 increased by 34 per cent, and excluding imports of natural gas - by 28 per cent. Moreover, exports of goods to the Russian Federation increased by 9 per cent and amounted to 10 per cent of the total exports of Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, while imports of Russian goods excluding imports of natural gas increased by 45 per cent.
Pridnestrovie has begun to export more to the Russian market chemical products (by 41 per cent); food products (by 13 per cent), including apricot, cherry, fresh and frozen vegetables; clothes (by 29 per cent); engineering products (by 5 per cent), including cable products and fiber optics. At the same time, imports of metals and its products, chemical products (nitrogen fertilizers and herbicides) more than doubled - by 46 per cent, machine-building products (agricultural machinery and equipment) - by 35 per cent.
The task of increasing trade with various countries remains fundamental in the field of foreign trade to 2019.