Economy, Foreign Trade

Benin’s annual imports generally cost much more than its exports earn. In 2000 the country’s imports were valued at $602 million and its exports at only $376 million. Benin’s main exports are crude petroleum, cotton, palm products, and cacao; its chief imports are textiles, clothing, and machinery. Benin’s principal trading partners for exports are Brazil, Portugal, Morocco, Libya, India, the United States, Italy, and France; chief partners for imports are France, the United Kingdom, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, and The Netherlands.