TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin St. Maarten's top export is Gold. What???

22.9M export in GOLD?

Imports 388M in food and cars? What????


https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/maf/

Imports makes sence to me. Pretty much everything has to be brought in. Exporting what was listed does too.

It's all that jewelry you guys buy when you go to SXM and "export" it back to USA. : > )

I'd be curious to see their definitions of the various categories. Jewelry exports of $554k?? Ok, maybe shipped officially from the country, but we all know there's a lot more that is carried out of the country by people like me (well, my wife). And, only $9.1M for beer imports? Geez, shouldn't booze and wine be up there as well. Still, an interesting read.

This makes no sense. St. Maarten does not mine gold, it must be imported from somewhere. Therefore, it would have to import an amount that is , in turn, exported.

I was thinking the same thing... How could you export that much Gold if not importing it first? I am guessing it would have to do with some loophole and duty free? The indians own most of the jewelry stores. I don't know anything about gold but I do know importing all food, beer and clothing is not a good thing. It is sunny and warm all year round... Grow something on SXM and open a micro brewery!

There is a Micro brewery on island. I took some gold chains we no longer use and got over 1,000 US dollars for it. What would that go under. Import or export if they resold it.