Mauritius Dec trade deficit shrinks 0.2% yr/yr

Mauritius' trade deficit fell slightly in December on the back of higher food and livestock export revenues, while the import bill increased at a slower pace, the statistics office said on Tuesday.

The deficit -- which widened throughout 2010 -- decreased by 0.2 percent to 6.755 billion rupees ($229.4 million).

Imports to the Indian Ocean island rose 15 percent from a year earlier to 13.52 billion rupees, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said, while exports increased 35.9 percent to 6.765 billion rupees.

In December, Britain was the main buyer of goods from Mauritius, accounting for 19.1 percent of its exports, while India supplied 25.9 percent of the island's imports.

The government launched a 12 billion rupee stimulus package in August last year to help the economy counter challenges after the euro zone crisis put pressure on the euro, threatening the island's tourism and European demand for its exports.

The government sees the country's trade deficit widening to 67 billion rupees in 2010, from 57 billion rupees in 2009.

The euro zone is a major source of revenue for the island's key tourism and textile sectors. (Reporting by Jean Paul Arouff; Editing by Alex Richardson)