Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1507552
13 OPINION maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 International survey rates Melita best mobile service provider for value for money Registered trade in goods in July recorded a deficit of €410.7 million PROVISIONAL data record- ed a total trade in goods deficit of €410.7 million during July, compared to a deficit of €817.3 million in the corresponding month of 2022. Data published by the Nation- al Statistics Office shows that imports amounted to €775.3 million, while exports totalled €364.6 million, representing declines in both imports and exports of €412.3 million and €5.6 million, respectively, over the same month of the previous year. The main decreases in imports were primarily due to Machin- ery and transport equipment (€319.1 million), and Mineral fuels, lubricants and related ma- terials (€79.5 million). On the exports side, the main decrease was registered in Min- eral fuels, lubricants and related materials (€68.7 million), which was partly offset by an increase in Machinery and transport equipment (€69.8 million). Total Trade in Goods: Janu- ary-July 2023 During the first seven months of the year, the total trade in goods deficit narrowed by €537.0 million when compared to the corresponding period of 2022, reaching €2,288.1 million. Imports stood at €4,755.1 mil- lion whereas exports reached €2,467.1 million, representing decreases of €561.3 million and €24.2 million, respectively. Lower imports were main- ly recorded in Machinery and transport equipment (€386.6 million), Mineral fuels, lubri- cants and related materials (€238.8 million), and Chemicals (€35.6 million), partly offset by increases in Food (€48.1 mil- lion), and Miscellaneous manu- factured articles (€40.1 million). On the exports side, the main decrease was registered in Min- eral fuels, lubricants and related materials (€167.6 million). This was partly offset by an increase in Machinery and transport equipment (€158.3 million). Goods were imported mainly from the European Union (51.5 per cent) and Asia (21.1 per cent). Similarly, exports were mostly directed to the European Union (39.1 per cent) and Asia (14.6 per cent). From the top import countries in the month under review, the highest increase in imports was recorded from the United King- dom (€134.4 million), while im- ports from Italy registered the largest drop (€142.8 million). Exports to Germany registered the highest increase (€261.5 million), while those to France experienced the largest drop (€155.3 million). In July, the deficit of trade in goods excluding specific chap- ters amounted to €243.7 mil- lion, almost at par with that recorded in the same month of 2022. Imports and exports amount- ed to €458.2 million and €214.5 million, respectively, represent- ing increases of 1.6 per cent and 3.4 per cent over the corre- sponding month of the previous year. During the first seven months of 2023, the deficit of trade in goods excluding specific chap- ters widened by €172.3 million when compared to the same pe- riod of 2022, reaching €1,375.7 million. Imports and exports increased by 9.1 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively, reaching €3,027.1 million and €1,651.4 million. MELITA Limited has been identified as Malta's best mobile service provider for price-quality ratio in a recent Swiss inde- pendent research project. According to the research - carried out by the International Certification Association, ICERTIAS, based in Zu- rich - Melita outperformed the compe- tition and won the highest number of votes for providing the best price-qual- ity ratio. Melita CEO, Harald Roesch welcomed these results and said: "For us, reliability is key across all our services, and being able to provide good value for money for our customers at a time of economic instability remains a priority to ensure an enhanced customer experience." The survey was carried out online among 1,200 respondents who were asked an open-ended question: "Which mobile telephone service provider (in general) in your personal experience of- fers the best price-quality ratio on the Maltese market?" The highest number of respondents replied "Melita", which saw the organ- isation clinch the prestigious award for Malta, securing the Best Buy Award certification for the year 2023/2024 in the "Mobile Service Provider" category. According to the research, consumers seek the most affordable products and services, but they do not want to for- sake quality — if two competitors offer a similar product at the same price, they will happily choose the one they believe provides higher quality and greater val- ue. ICERTIAS remarked: "Winning first place in this survey is a significant achievement for Melita and a confir- mation that its products and offerings stand for the best price and quality."