HARARE-(MaraviPost)-Zimbabwe barely stayed in trade surplus in September as exports fell sharply while its fuel and machinery import bill surged to over half a billion dollars.
The country exported goods worth US$1.36 billion in September, down 19.3% from US$1.68 billion in August, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat).
Imports moved in the opposite direction, jumping 13.5% to US$1.31 billion from US$1.15 billion the previous month. That left Zimbabwe with a razor-thin trade surplus of just US$46.7 million – a fraction of the gap a month earlier.
The figures expose Zimbabwe’s dangerous dependence on raw minerals.
Gold alone accounted for US$645 million, or 47.6% of all exports. When gold and other unprocessed minerals are combined, they made up US$929.5 million – 68.6% of everything Zimbabwe sold abroad.
Tobacco, the country’s second traditional earner, brought in US$123.3 million (9.1%). The rest was dominated by ores, nickel mattes and ferrochrome – again, mostly raw or semi-processed.
In short: Zimbabwe is still exporting rocks and leaves, not finished products.
On the other side of the ledger, Zimbabwe paid dearly to keep its economy running.
Fuel topped the import list at US$349.3 million – 26.7% of all imports. Machinery and mechanical appliances followed at US$193.7 million (14.8%).
Together, fuel and machinery cost US$543 million, or 41.5% of the total import bill.
Vehicles added another US$95.5 million, electrical machinery US$72 million, iron and steel articles US$66.7 million and fertilisers US$65.4 million.
Even cereals – basic food – cost US$38 million, a reminder that Zimbabwe still cannot feed itself despite repeated promises of food security.
The data tells a familiar story: a country that digs gold to pay for fuel, machines and food, and is left with almost nothing to show for it when global mineral prices or export volumes slip.
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