Passengers and freight transported by rail in Mozambique increased in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2020, rising 44% and 20%, respectively, the National Statistics Institute announced (INE).

The data are part of the latest Economic Outlook published by INE and show signs of recovery from the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.

The transportation data is part of the economic activity indicators, in which also includes the guest movement which grew 37% year-on-year in the second quarter - with more than half of the users being traditional guests.

The overnight stays had a growth in the order of 36% compared to the same period in 2020.

In another indicator, there was a 10% increase in total energy billings compared to the second quarter of 2020.

The detailed data now released comes after INE had already announced that the Mozambican economy - the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - grew by 1.97% between April and June when compared to the same period in 2020. 

Cumulative GDP growth for the first half of 2021 is 1.05%.

The investment indicators in the second quarter, also included in the summary published by INE, show different signs in year-on-year terms.

Equipment imports were up 41% - vehicle imports alone were up 88% - domestic cement sales were also up, up 47%, but the volume of coal sold was down 65% and aluminum was down 7%.

At the end of the accounts for the second quarter of this year, INE estimates that total government revenues have increased "slightly, by about 11%, compared to the same quarter in 2020."

Income taxes account for 47.4% of revenue, followed by taxes on goods and services (36.3%), foreign trade tax (6.2%) and other taxes (10.1%).

Lusa Agency