Moldova Jan-Jun Trade Deficit Widens

(RTTNews) - Moldova's merchandise trade deficit for the first half of the year widened from the same period in 2012, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics revealed on Monday.

The trade gap widened to $1.473 billion from $1.419 billion in the same period last year. Exports grew 7.7 percent, while imports rose 5.4 percent.

For the month of June, exports increased 2.3 percent annually and imports rose 13.3 percent. The trade deficit for June was $272.2 million versus $222.9 million last year. In May, the shortfall was $244.3 million.

On a monthly basis, shipments grew 10.5 percent, while imports rose 11.1 percent.