An Angolan central banker has said the value of merchandise imported by his country in the first 10 months of this year was 10 percent lower than in the corresponding period last year, Angop reports.

The Angolan state-run news agency quotes National Bank of Angola Vice-governor Tiago Dias as saying on Wednesday that the value of imports of food fell by 21.7 percent.

The report quotes Mr Dias as saying the declines are due to measures taken by the government to manage the Angolan current account and balance of payments.

“If we had not reduced imports, the current account would have a deficit and, consequently, we would have an extremely negative impact on the balance of payments of the country,” Mr Dias said.

The value of Angolan exports in the first 10 months of this year was 19.4 percent lower than in the corresponding period last year, Angop says.