Fiji's exports have increased by 10 percent in the first four months of 2007, said interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry Monday.

Chaudhry said Fiji's foreign reserves are also stable "at the moment" and imports are down, according to Fijilive, a local news service.

Compared with the same period last year, Fiji's "agricultural sector has performed well," said Chaudhry.

He said Fiji has also been able to export an extra 55,000 tons of sugar to the European Union that is "over and above our usual sugar quota and this should fetch us a good price."

"While this increase in sugar revenue will assist our exports, we have also got to work extra hard and enhance other exports and that is very critical to our balance of payments," said Chaudhry.

He said the exports could have been better if Fiji was able to take advantage of its mahogany resources that is "still untapped."

Source: Xinhua