rport. Hurricane Luis devastated the
country's banana crop in September 1995; tropical storms had wiped out
one-quarter of the crop in 1994 as well. The government is attempting
to develop an offshore financial industry in order to diversify the
island's production base.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $208 million (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 26%
industry: NA%
services : NA% (1995)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 1.2% (1996 est.)

Labor force:
total : 25,000
by occupation: agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services
28% (1984)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1992 est.)

Budget:
revenues : $80 million
expenditures: $95.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY95/96 est.)

Industries: soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement
blocks, shoes

Industrial production growth rate: -10% (1994 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 15,000 kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 52 million kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 479 kWh (1994 est.)

Agriculture - products: bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops,
coconuts; forestry and fisheries potential not exploited

Exports:
total value : $40 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: bananas 70%, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit,
oranges
partners: UK 55%, Caricom countries, Italy, US

Imports:
total value: $122 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities : manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food,
chemicals
partners: US 25%, Caricom, UK, Japan, Canada

Debt - external: $110 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient : ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (February
1997; fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

@Dominica:Communications

Telephones: 14,613 (1993 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: fully automatic network
international: microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to
Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint
Lucia

Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0

Radios: 45,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1 cable

Televisions: 5,200 (1993 est.)

@Dominica:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 765 km
paved: 385 km
unpaved: 380 km (1995 est.)

Ports and harbors: Portsmouth, Roseau

Merchant marine: