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Mauritius H1 trade deficit widens 3 pct

View of the harbour of Port Louis on the Indian Ocean island Mauritius, August 5, 2015. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - Mauritius' trade deficit widened by 3 percent to 35.23 billion rupees ($1.01 billion) in the first half of 2016 as exports fell, and was expected to widen further in the full year, data showed on Monday. Exports fell 10.8 percent on lower sales of machinery and transport equipment while imports dropped 5 percent, Statistics Mauritius said in a statement. Britain was the main destination for exports, accounting for 12 percent, while China was the main supplier with 17.9 percent of the Indian Ocean island's imports. Based on quarterly trends and data from various sources, the 2016 deficit was expect to reach around 76 billion rupees, the agency said. The deficit was 73.96 billion rupees in 2015. ($1 = 34.9500 Mauritius rupees) (Reporting by Jean Paul Arouff; editing by George Obulutsa and John Stonestreet)