The tiny country of Laos has shown some not-so-tiny import increases in 2011. Laos’ import surge appears to be due to a spike that occurred in July and August. The increase surpassed last year’s dollar amounts by 20% in July and a whopping 71% in August (as displayed in the graph below).
So, what is the root behind this summer’s growth spurt? Ironically, it’s coffee. Laos’ coffee products have experienced a major climb in 2011 compared to the past two years (as seen in the graph below). Zepol’s
TradeView™ data shows that coffee import totals, year-to-date, are more than twice the number from 2009 and over five times that of 2010. The result is an average increase of 363% in coffee imports to the United States in the past two years.
Besides a coffee b
oost, Laos has also shown a significant rise in textiles. Articles of clothing and apparel, the largest valued import from the country, are up 23% from last year at this time and 80% from 2009. The climb in Laotian imports is interesting and could be due to a variety of trade outliers, or possibly just over-caffeinated workers. Either way, little Laos is doing big things.