Expenditure on personal vehicle imports declined considerably by 93.6% in July 2020, the lowest monthly outlay since 8 December 2009, the Central Bank said in its latest report.
According to the CBSL, The year-on-year declining trend observed in expenditure on merchandise imports since March 2020 continued in July 2020 as well, recording a decline of 24.6%, to US$ 1,294 million.
Expenditure on all major import sectors declined in July 2020. This reduction is partly attributed to the measures taken by the government to restrict the importation of selected non-essential goods.
The expenditure on intermediate goods imports declined in July 2020, year-on-year, led by fuel imports (-36.3%) and the importation of textiles and textile articles (- 20.7%). The reduction in expenditure in fuel imports was due to the refined and crude oil imports with lower petroleum prices in the international market.
The average import price of crude oil declined to US$ 46.23 per barrel in July 2020, compared to US$68.73 a year ago.
