Mauritius’ trade deficit widened by 3% to 35.23 billion rupees ($1.01 billion) in the first half of 2016 as exports fell, and was expected to widen further in the full year, data showed on Monday, Reuters reported. Exports fell 10.8% on lower sales of machinery and transport equipment while imports dropped 5%, Statistics Mauritius said in a statement. Britain was the main destination for exports, accounting for 12%, while China was the main supplier with 17.9% of the Indian Ocean island’s imports. Based on quarterly trends and data from various sources, the 2016 deficit was expected to reach around 76 billion rupees, the agency said. The deficit was 73.96 billion rupees in 2015.
