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Mauritius Table of Contents

Mauritius

ECONOMY

Gross Domestic Product: 1993 estimate US$8.6 billion, with growth rate of 5.5 percent, and inflation rate of 10.5 percent.

Agriculture: Sugar major crop covering more than 90 percent of cultivated land; more than 500,000 tons annually exported under Lomé Convention. Other products: tea, fresh vegetables, tobacco, cut flowers; livestock raising and fishing.

Industry: Industrial development accelerated by establishment of export processing zones (EPZs) in 1971; textiles and wearing apparel main products; efforts at diversification since 1991. Tourism and construction other major industries.

Exports: 1992 EPZ exports estimated at US$1.3 billion; major markets Britain, France, United States, and Germany.

Imports: 1992 imports estimated at US$1.6 billion; major products: manufactured goods, capital equipment, food, petroleum products, chemicals; major sources: France, South Africa, Britain, and Japan.

Balance of Payments: 1992 trade deficit US$370 million.

Currency and Exchange Rate: 1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents. January 1994 exchange rate US$1 = MauR17.65.

Fiscal Year: July 1 - June 30.

Fiscal Policy: 1992-94 development plan stressed private sector and free market, aimed at 6 percent annual growth rate.

Data as of August 1994