Foreign Trade

Exports

Exports from Trinidad and Tobago can be divided into 4 major areas:

• Energy based including crude oil and refined petroleum products, methanol, urea, anhydrous ammonia, iron and steel products;
• Traditional agricultural exports including sugar, cocoa, coffee and citrus;
• Non traditional agricultural exports such as processed fish, shrimp, vegetables and fruit, as well as cut flowers;
• Manufactured goods of a wide variety from food stuffs, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, to air-conditioning units and motor vehicle batteries.

The Energy sector has been the most significant contributor to foreign exchange earnings of the country. Crude oil and refined products account for around 45% of total export earnings while petrochemical exports account for around 30% of export earnings.

Major Exports

	Exported Products	1994 Values (F.O.B.) TT$000
1	Petroleum and Petroleum Products	5,436,786.3
2	Inorganic Chemicals	1,349,483.2
3	Organic Chemicals	1,144,379.6
4	Iron and Steel	957,733.5
5	Fertilizers, Manufactured	348,142.4
6	Beverages	234,213.9
7	Gas, Natural and Manufactured	196,071.3
8	Non-Metal Mineral Manufactures	173,359.7
9	Paper Manufactures	156,081.2
10	Sugar, Sugar Preparations and Honey	130,148.1
11	Perfume Material	107,648.3
12	Miscellaneous Manufactured Articles	99,387.9
13	Cereal, Cereal Preparations	98,980.4
14	Animal Feeds	74,104.1
15	Miscellaneous Food Preparations	64,350.2
16	Vegetables and Fruits	61,409.1
17	Clothing	61,092.6
18	Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, Spices	59,500.7
19	Manufactures of Metal	57,821.6
20	Fish and Fish Preparations	53,084.3

Source: Central Statistical Office

Main Trading Partners:

Geographic Distribution of Exports from 1990 to 1994 (%)

Countries	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
United States	55.7	48.6	47.1	45.6	42.9
CARICOM	13.0	12.8	13.8	20.2	20.0
Other	14.7	16.3	22.0	16.0	16.0
Central and South America (excluding Guyana, French Guyana, Surinam and Belize)	3.5	8.3	7.1	7.3	10.2
European Community (excluding the U.K.)	5.4	6.9	3.6	2.6	5.9
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands	1.9	1.3	1.6	2.7	2.9
United Kingdom	2.9	2.2	1.7	2.1	1.3
Canada	1.4	2.1	1.8	2.1	0.5
Japan	0.8	1.3	1.0	1.1	0.2
European Free Trade Association	0.7	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.1
	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

Source: Central Statistical Office.

Link of Sources:
http://www.cso.gov.tt/
http://www.central-bank.org.tt/