METADATA

COMPILATION AND REPORTING OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GOODS STATISTICS

• SECTION 1 – Legal Requirement

   

  The responsibility for collecting, processing, and disseminating of international merchandise trade statistics in the region is anchored in the Partner States’ respective Statistics Acts.
• SECTION 2 – Methodology

   

  2.1	Concepts and Definitions	The concepts and definitions are in accordance with the international standards outlined in the International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS), Concepts and Definition Manual, 2010.
  2.2	Scope	The scope of international trade in goods covers administrative data collected through customs and various adjustments to cover for unrecorded trade including shuttle trade and trade on electricity and following the general trade system.
  2.3	Classification	Classification is based on Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) 2022. The data is compiled on an eight (8) digit code i.e. adding a two digit code for the EAC Tariff and hence consistent with the East African Community (EAC) Common External Tariff (CET) 2022.
  2.4	Valuation and Time of Recording	Imports are valued at CIF while Exports are valued at FOB. The recording of goods is done when customs declaration is lodged.

• SECTION 3 – Periodicity

   

  The international merchandise trade statistics from customs is available to compiling agency on average 45 days after the reference period.
• SECTION 4 – Dissemination

  The trade data portal will be updated with the monthly data on exports, re-exports, imports and re-imports within 45 days after the end of the month.

   

  4.1. Data Variables 

  The variables to be disseminated in the portal are: 

   

  Variable	Defined
  Reporter	Country reporting the Data
  Year	Reference year for the data reported
  Month	Reference month for the data reported
  Partner	Trading partner Trading partner  • For exports – is country of last known destination • For imports – is country of origin
  HS-8 digits code	Classification standards used, Harmonized Commodity Description and coding System (HS) 2022. Two digits added to the international standards of HS 6 digits to cover the EAC CET.
  Commodity Descriptions	Description of items corresponding to HS
  Trade flow	Exports, Imports, Re-export or Re-imports - Imports are flows of goods leaving the statistical territory of a country applying the general trade system - Exports are flows of goods entering the statistical territory of a country applying the general trade system - Re-exports are exports of foreign goods which were previously recorded as imports - Re-imports are imports of domestic goods which were previously recorded as exports.
  Quantity	Physical characteristics of the goods in accordance with the World Customs Organization (WCO) standards units of quantity measurements: weight (Kg and carats), Length (metres), Area (square metres), Volume (cubic metres or litres), Electric power (Kilowatts), and Numbers (Pieces, pairs, dozens, packs)
  Net weight (KGS)	Gross weight in Kilograms excluding packaging weight
  Value (in USD)	Value of trade reported in US Dollars. The trade recorded in national currency is converted to USD using the daily average official exchange rate.

• SECTION 5 – Data Revisions

   

  The data in the portal is revised as and when new data series are available. Any revision on the monthly data is done when the revised series is available while the revision of the 12 calendar months data is done within the first quarter of the subsequent year.