June 8, 2011 2:06 PM EDT
Burundi's imports rose 38 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2010, partly due to higher purchases of building materials and food stuff, the central bank said on Wednesday.
The landlocked country of eight million which uses the ports of Mombasa and Dar Es Salaam in Kenya and Tanzania respectively, saw cement and perishable food items representing more than half of total imports, the central bank said in a report.
Burundi imported 151,643 tonnes of goods between January and March 2011 worth 168.4 billion francs, up from 109,056 tonnes in the previous year.
The central bank data showed that the coffee and tea represented 85 percent for all exports by the central African nation, which is a net importer.
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