Zambia has recorded a trade surplus valued at 150 billion kwacha (about 43 million U.S. dollars) in May this year bolstered by strong copper exports, official figures have showed.

This is the second trade surplus of the year in Zambia, a country that relies heavily on imports due to lack of manufacturing industry.

Zambia's Central Statistics Office (CSO) said the total value of exports in May was at 862 billion kwacha (246 million dollars) against imports at 713 billion kwacha (203 million dollars).

CSO said copper was the major export product in May, accounting for 71.3 percent of the country's total export earnings.

Other exports included crude materials which have accounted for 11.5 percent and small-scale exports such as ores, slag and ash accounting for 9.4 percent.

Zambia has exported its products mainly to South Africa, Switzerland and the Untied Kingdom, which collectively accounted for about 74 percent of the country's total exports in May, according to the CSO.

Zambia recorded a trade surplus in April this year at 42.4 billion kwacha (12 million dollars).

Source: Xinhua