Foreign Currency Earnings Research Articles

Total reserves as a factor of the economic security of the state

The purpose of the article is to study the most important problems related to the dynamics of total reserves, key factors affecting their volume and structure, the content of state measures aimed at their accumulation and rational use in the context of ensuring the economic security of the state, justification of the most urgent measures, aimed at overcoming existing problems in this area. General scientific and special methods are used: description, comparison, analysis, grouping, synthesis, theoretical generalization, abstract-logical. The volume of total reserves of Ukraine as of April 1, 2024 guarantees financing for 5.8 months of future imports, which characterizes the value of this indicator as “optimal”. The NBU’s net currency sales (funds spent on maintaining the relative exchange rate stability of the hryvnia during the war) during January 2022 – March 2024 exceeded USD 59 billion, or about USD 2.2 billion per month on average, which is two-thirds revenues in favor of the government in the form of loans and grants received during this period. The main factors that led to the unprecedented spending of reserves to support the hryvnia exchange rate were a multiple increase in the deficit of foreign trade in goods and services, an increase in balances on foreign currency accounts of non-financial corporations (the unwillingness of enterprises to sell currency at the current exchange rate), a radical increase in the expenses of refugees abroad, which are accounted for in balance of payments as “travel” or “import of services”. The dynamics of the growth of funds in the foreign currency accounts of legal entities indicates the expediency of considering the possibility of returning to the practice of mandatory sale of part of the foreign currency earnings of exporting enterprises. The parameters of this regulation should become the subject of a professional discussion between the government and the National Bank. Analysis of the long-term dynamics of gold prices indicates the need for a gradual increase in the share of this banking metal in the structure of the country’s total reserves, taking into account the 8-fold increase in its value since 2000. The structure of the country’s total reserves in terms of currencies shows the absolute dominance of the US dollar in it (92 %), which in the medium term will require taking measures aimed at harmonizing the structure of reserves due to the increase in the weight of other currencies that are actively used in settlements with partner countries, primarily euros and Chinese yuan.

Statistical Analysis of Overseas Tourist Arrivals to South Africa in Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Sustainable Development

The COVID-19 pandemic has harmed the global tourism and hospitality industry, crippling foreign currency earnings and employment in many countries, South Africa (SA) included. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overseas tourist arrivals to SA, and to make an inference on the country’s foreign currency earnings on economic development. The Box–Jenkins methodology is used in fitting non-seasonal integrated autoregressive moving average (ARIMA) and seasonal ARIMA (SARIMA) models to quantify and characterise the number of overseas tourists to SA. The ARIMA 1,0,1(0,1,1)12 model is the best fitting model for the overseas tourist arrivals data to SA, as confirmed by the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). The model shows good forecasting power in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by the validation results. The difference between forecasts and actual values after the validation phase shows the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overseas tourist arrivals to SA and the challenges it poses to the statistical modelling of tourist arrivals to SA, considering the pandemic was the first of its kind. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the tourism industry’s vulnerability to economic shocks, showing the need for aggressive marketing strategies that may revamp the tourism sectors to levels previously expected before and or after COVID-19 for sustainable development.

The Government Policy for the Ukraine’s Pharmaceutical Industry: Economic and Statistical Aspect

Among the priorities for the Ukrainian government during the country’s recovery period after the war should be ensuring national security, establishing an effective healthcare system, creating jobs, achieving stability and economic growth. The development of the pharmaceutical industry plays a crucial role in achieving these goals. The pharmaceutical industry, as revealed by the study, despite increasing production and value added over the years of independence, remains vulnerable and dependent on external resources. The Covid-19 pandemic and the russian military aggression exposed the industry’s unpreparedness for new challenges and threats, casting doubt on the effectiveness of Ukraine’s policy for national pharmaceutical production. The aim of this article is to show initiatives and political decisions made since the early 2000s, as well as economic and statistical assessments of their consequences for the pharmaceutical industry in Ukraine. Study found, that the government’s policy in the process of European integration primarily focused on harmonizing legislative and regulatory frameworks for pharmaceutical activities, rather than on enhancing the domestic manufacturers through a variety of activities: the implementation of a deliberate policy for the technological product and process innovation based on domestic R&D, strengthening competitive advantages for to meet growing domestic needs and increase exports. Lack of policy for increasing the innovative and scientific and technological potential of pharmaceutical industry has led to the growth of imports. It is proven that in 1996, the import of pharmaceutical products per capita in the country was $4,98 and at the end of 2021 (before the start of the war), it was $71.78. The research revealed that Ukrainian pharmaceutical industry, primarily manufactures products for the domestic market and relies largely on imported intermediate goods (as there is no domestic production of fine chemicals, active pharmaceutical ingredients and their intermediates); the industry does not generate foreign currency earnings even to cover the expenses for purchasing necessary ingredients in foreign markets. The article substantiates the necessity of a multi-aspect policy. The formulation of such policies should be based on both the results of statistical analysis from official statistics and surveys of professional associations’ members associated with the pharmaceutical industry (developers and manufacturers of biological and chemical substances, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, as well as providers of fillers and packaging materials and equipment for pharmaceutical production). This approach will allow for a comprehensive and adequate assessment of the current state and future prospects of the industry.

Expected impact of the bankruptcy of leading foreign banks on the banking system of Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to study the problems associated with the possible unfolding of the banking crisis in the USA and European countries, the content of state regulatory measures aimed at ensuring the financial stability of Ukrainian banks, which will be implemented consecutively from February 2022, the justification of additional, most urgent measures aimed at overcoming existing problems in the country’s banking system. General scientific and special methods are used: analysis, synthesis, grouping, description, comparison, theoretical generalization and abstract-logical. In the course of the research, it was concluded that the bankruptcy of some leading foreign banks should not have a significant negative impact on the banking sector of the Ukrainian economy. The article also discloses the content of state regulatory measures aimed at ensuring the financial stability of Ukrainian banks, which include the implementation of full (regardless of the amount and currency) state guarantee of bank deposits of individuals, providing banks with the required amount of refinancing, a radical increase in the discount rate, active accumulation of international reserves, withdrawal of problem banks from the market, activation of the use of norms of mandatory reservation of funds raised by banks, reduction of the rate on overnight deposit certificates, activation of the work of the Financial Stability Council. The positive consequences of the implementation of a set of measures to support the banking system of Ukraine were determined, in particular: a decrease in inflation rates, strengthening of the hryvnia exchange rate, preservation of profitability of the banking system, gradual restoration of bank capitalization. Problems that require the adoption of additional regulatory measures by the state are highlighted, namely the increase in the share of problem loans and the actual suspension of credit activities of banks. A number of measures are proposed within the framework of improving the current monetary policy of Ukraine: development of the mechanism of “emergency” refinancing of banks in case of rapid spread of crisis phenomena; unconditional adherence to the policy of “expensive money”; limitation of emission and money supply growth rates; restoration of the practice of compulsory sale of a part of the foreign currency earnings of exporters; ensuring further “fine-tuning” of the current method of mandatory reservation of the funds involved; settlement of the “new” NPL management procedure; creation of a specialized state institution for the management of problem assets to accept NPL portfolios of state banks on the balance sheet. The results of the research can be used at the level of the National Bank and the government in the process of forming urgent measures in the field of monetary policy implementation.
 JEL classіfіcatіon: E31, E40, E42, E50, E52, F31, F35

Marketing horti-tourism and rural development for leveraging tourism agenda 2030: a perspective article

ObjetivoEste documento tiene como meta analizar cómo el marketing de Horti-turismo puede contribuir al desarrollo de la agenda del turismo 2030.Diseño/metodología/enfoqueSe ha realizado una revisión de la literatura en bases de datos científicas de impacto a nivel internacional sobre la comercialización del horti-turismo.Los HallazgosLa investigación prospectiva sobre horti-turismo sigue siendo escasa y se sugiere más atención científica sobre este tema. El sector turístico produjo variadas formas de turismo donde el horti-turismo está asociado con granjas de horticultura, jardines vegetales y jardines de flores que proporcionan beneficios directos como la creación de empleo, ganancias en divisas extranjeras, fuente de generación de ingresos, reducción de la pobreza y otras actividades comerciales lucrativas. A pesar de la importancia atribuida a esta forma de turismo en la literatura, se ha prestado menos atención en la comercialización a las naciones y las empresas. Se ha puesto de manifiesto la necesidad de desarrollar más estudios para formentar esta forma de turismo.Originalidad/valorEste artículo exploratorio permite a las empresas de turismo, los gobiernos y otras partes interesadas dentro y fuera realizar contribuciones teóricas y prácticas a fin de comercializar sus productos en destinos de horti-turismo y, con ello, fomentar el desarrollo Agenda de Turismo de las Naciones Unidas de 2030.

Elevating Bangladesh: Exploring Tourism Marketing Strategies for Growth

Bangladesh, with its pristine natural landscapes, rich historical heritage, and abundant archaeological treasures, presents an enticing prospect for tourism development. The tourism industry holds immense potential for driving economic growth, bolstering the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and generating foreign currency earnings. As countries worldwide vie for a share of the tourism market, effective marketing strategies become imperative for attracting visitors and maximizing revenues. This study investigates the current landscape of tourism marketing in Bangladesh, aiming to identify opportunities, challenges, and strategic interventions for sustainable growth. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature and empirical data, this research sheds light on the pivotal role of promotional activities in enhancing the competitiveness of Bangladesh's tourism sector. Key findings highlight the need for targeted investments, innovative marketing approaches, and policy support to capitalize on the country's tourism potential.

Resource transmission from financial development to tourism growth: Evidence from selected South Asian countries

Tourism has become one of the fastest-growing industries in South Asia, contributing to a variety of development goals such as income generation, poverty reduction, employment, foreign currency earnings, and better living standards. On the other hand, financial development (FD) accelerates the growth of developing sectors by providing necessary access to finance. Therefore, this study explores the mechanism of resource transmission from FD to the tourism industry in selected South Asian countries, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. The second-generation cross-section augmented unit root tests CIPS and CADF confirm the stationarity property of the variables. LM bootstrap and Durbin-Hausman cointegration tests find the long-run association among the variables. The D-H panel causality test reveals bi-directional causality between financial development and the tourism industry. The long-run cointegrating factor for financial development is found to be positive (1.03, 1.25, and 0.89 respectively) and significant in the PDOLS, PMG-ARDL, and Cup-FMOLS estimations. The results indicate that financial development enhances the tourism industry development supporting tourism-led led growth hypothesis. The study also recommends policy measures that will help to shape the policy implication for this region.

Determinants of Adoption of Mung Bean Variety in Ebinat District, Ethiopia

The mung bean crop is an essential legume crop among smallholder farmers because of its benefits like income generation, foreign currency earnings, supplies for local industries, and rural employment. The study intended to find determinants of the adoption of the mung bean variety in the Ebinat District. A multipurpose random sampling technique was used, and 150 smallholder farmers were chosen randomly to collect primary and secondary data. Both econometrics modelling and descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the data. A double hurdle model was used. It showed that, respectively, 46% and 54% existed adopters and non-adopters of mung beans. Model outcomes indicated that total livestock holdings, training, participation in demonstration sites, sex, and access to market information influenced mung bean cultivars. Additionally, the government, non-governmental organizations, and stakeholders should focus on strengthening participation in demonstration sites and training, encouraging, and improving the extension system, and increasing access to farmer's market information

THE GROWTH OF NIGERIA'S ECONOMY FROM 1981 TO 2019 IN RELATION TO THE FINANCING OF AGRICULTURE

The analysis of various economic variables in Nigeria from 1981 to 2019 shows that the country’s economy has been heavily reliant on oil exports, which has left it vulnerable to external shocks and hindered economic growth. This over-reliance on oil exports has led to neglect of the agricultural sector, which was once the main source of foreign currency earnings for Nigeria. As a result, there has been a decline in food production and an increase in imports. However, a study investigating the impact of government spending on agriculture on Nigeria’s economic growth using secondary data covering the same period shows that investing in agriculture is essential for Nigeria to achieve a diversified economy and sustainable economic growth. The study uses the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) approach and the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit root test to analyze the data and concludes that diversifying the economy into non-oil industries, such as agriculture, is likely to have a significant impact on economic growth. The regression analysis showed that government agricultural spending has a positive impact on economic growth. The findings suggest that RGDP, AO, AL, AE, and IFR had an up-down tendency, while INT had an up-down-up trend. The skewness statistic indicates that the variables’ frequency distributions were positively skewed, while the Kurtosis statistic indicates that they were normally distributed. The unit root tests indicate that all variables were stationary at 5%. The regression analysis showed that AO had a positive association with RGDP, while AL had a negative association with it. The study also provides additional information, such as the contribution of agriculture to Nigeria’s GDP and the statistical reliability of the variables.

Towards edible oil self-sufficiency in Ethiopia: Lessons and prospects

Nine oilseeds namely noug, gomenzer, linseed, soybean, sunflower, castor, sesame, ground nut and cotton are important in Ethiopia for edible oil consumption. During the last 60 years, 156 varieties with their production practices were registered. Sesame contributes significantly to the foreign currency earnings next to coffee. Despite the revenue from export, 90% of the national demand of edible oil is imported. Among oilseeds, groundnut, sunflower and soybean are the choice of cultivation both in high rainfall Western lowlands and irrigated areas of Awash, Omo and Wabe Shebelle and Dawa Genale valleys. Similarly, sesame exports can be doubled or tripled using irrigated production. In addition, soybean can be cultivated as a source of raw material for food and feed industries. Oil palm occupies small areas compared to other oil seeds but contributes half for global consumption. In the short term, sufficient amount of edible oil to meet the national demand can come from maximizing sesame export and production of sunflower, groundnut and soybean as raw material for local industries. In the long term, oil palm production is indispensable to feed the ever-growing population. Therefore, the ultimate solution for edible oil self-sufficiency for most customers can only come from the high-yielding perennial oil palm with high yield and less production cost.

Production, productivity, quality and chemical composition of Ethiopian coffee

Ethiopia is the fifth-largest coffee producer in the world. The country has made continuous efforts to enhance the production, productivity and quality of its coffee. Yet, comprehensive data on these issues are scant. This paper aims to document available information on the economic importance, production, productivity, quality and chemical contents of Ethiopian coffee, and to identify developmental and/or research gaps on its productivity and quality. Coffee now accounts for ca. 25–30% of the country’s total foreign currency earnings and the amount of foreign currency earnings from coffee increases over the years with a varying rate. Production and cultivation areas of Ethiopian coffee also increase over the past 60 years, but the changes in its productivity and quality are minor. Also, the share of the top grade (Grade 1 and 2) coffees in Ethiopia has remained lower over time, and the quality and chemical composition of Ethiopian coffee vary with growing region and locality. Compared to others, coffees from Eastern (Harar) and Southern regions are better in overall quality, and coffee from Northwestern region is higher in chlorogenic acid and sucrose contents, whereas those from Harar and Southwestern regions are lower in caffeine and chlorogenic acid contents, respectively. However, Harar coffee is higher in fatty acid content than other region coffees. Overall, the paper shows (1) the economic importance, production, productivity, quality and chemical contents, (2) information gaps on productivity, and quality and chemical profiles, and (3) the existence of a large room for productivity and quality improvements of Ethiopian coffee.

Biofertilizer and NPSB fertilizer application effects on nodulation and productivity of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at Sodo Zuria, Southern Ethiopia.

Common bean is among the vital legumes cultivated for nutrition, foreign currency earnings, and income generation. Common bean production is constrained mainly by nutrient deficiencies. A field experiment was conducted at Sodo Zuria Woreda to assess the effects of blended N-P-S-B fertilizer rates and Rhizobium strain on yield and yield traits of common bean and income of farmers. Treatments were five different rates of blended NPSB fertilizer (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg ha-1) and two types of Rhizobium strains (HB-A15 and HB-429 (Rhizobia etli)) and control (without inoculation). Randomized complete block design in factorial arrangement with three replications were used. Results showed that interaction of blended NPSB rate and Rhizobium strain type had significant effect on the number of effective nodule, grain yield, and above ground dry biomass. Application of 150 kg NPSB ha-1 along with inoculation of Rhizobium etli resulted in the highest grain yield (3017.7 tons ha-1). Similarly, economic analysis indicated that the highest net return of 38298.545 ETB ha-1 was obtained from combined application of 150 kg NPSB ha-1 along with Rhizobium etli. Thus, it could be concluded that using Rhizobium etli strain with 150 kg NPSB ha-1 was found to be appropriate for common bean production in the area.

Skin defects affecting quality of leather in Tigray Regional State, Northern Ethiopia

Skins of goat are among export animal products of the country that contributes foreign currency earnings. The purpose of this study was to determine the major skin defects causing low quality of leather in the leather industries of Tigray region. Randomly about 60 skins of goat were collected and were analyzed in Sheba Leather Industry at the wet-blue stage of processing. Accordingly the major defects encountered were scratch (83.33), wound (50.00), flay cut (46.67), improper bleeding (43.33), demodectic mange (20.00), poor substance (18.33), pox lesions (16.67), age (6.67), hole (6.67), crack (5.00), brand mark (1.67) and putrefaction (1.67), percent respectively. The frequently detected defects were scratch followed by wound and least detected defects were putrefaction (1.67%) and brand mark (1.67%). According to the grading guideline, Out of the 60 skins 58 of them graded under 6-8 and were affected with more than two defects. Overall, out of 60 skins 26 (43.3%) of them has been rejected. In conclusion, around 12 major skin defects that have high impact on the quality of leather have been identified. To minimize the defects of the skin, animal health extension service should be promoted to increase the public awareness and collaborative work of the government and other stakeholders should be improved.

Economic Growth, Energy Mix, and Tourism-Induced EKC Hypothesis: Evidence from Top Ten Tourist Destinations

The tourism sector makes a sizable contribution to a country’s gross domestic product, increasing employment opportunities, foreign currency earnings, and economic diversification strategies. This paper uses the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) model to analyze the effects of tourism on the environment in the world’s top 10 tourist countries from 1972 to 2021. Panel cointegration and second-generation unit root tests are suggested due to the presence of cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity. A cross-sectional-autoregressive-distributed lag (CS-ARDL) model is applied to evaluate the marginal influence of environmental variables other than tourism on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These variables include fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear energy. For the purpose of testing robustness, both the augmented mean group (AMG) and the common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) estimators are employed. The CS-ARDL supports the EKC hypothesis in the short run and long run, but it is not significant in the short run. The existence of EKC demonstrates that rising income leads to fewer CO2 emissions. All forms of environmental degradation can be accelerated by using fossil fuels. The results of this study indicate that CO2 emissions can be reduced by using renewable energy and nuclear energy. A rise in tourism activity has a positive impact on environmental quality. The best-attended tourist spots around the globe are those that, in the long run, implement clean energy-related technology and promote ecotourism.

Turizm Sektörünün Türkiye Ekonomisi için Değerlendirilmesi: Girdi – Çıktı Analizi

Tourism sector is one of the important sectors for the countries in terms of increasing employment opportunities, providing income for the economy and raising the foreign currency earnings. Employing 2002 and 2012 input-output tables, the aim of this study is to assess tourism sector of Turkey with the input-output model. According to the results obtained, sectors related to tourism are slightly above the average among all other sectors in terms of employment multipliers, output multipliers and forward - backward linkage effects. The multipliers and linkage effects of these sectors have generally increased in the year of 2012 compared to 2002. Based on Hirschman categories, although the importance of sectors related to tourism generally increased compared to the year of 2002, these sectors are not in the “key sector” category. Consequently, policies increasing the linkages of the tourism sector with the overall economy should be implemented.

Sustainable Utilization of Fishery Waste in Bangladesh—A Qualitative Study for a Circular Bioeconomy Initiative

Living marine resources are limited; therefore, utilizing them sustainably is essential. Not all resources obtained from the sea are used adequately, causing discards, on-board waste, and by-products and waste on land. Recognition of the limited marine resources and increasing environmental pollution has emphasized the need for better utilization of by-products. Waste may include particles of flesh, skin, bones, entrails, shells or liquid stick water. Unfortunately, no fishery waste and by-product management initiatives or projects exist in Bangladesh; by-products are generally thrown into dustbins, ponds, rivers, and the sea. Bangladesh’s fish-processing waste and fishery by-products could be exported, providing a source of foreign currency earnings. Primary and secondary data were collected through documentary analysis, a literature review, and in-depth interviews (n = 129) with fishers and other relevant stakeholders regarding the challenges of Bangladesh’s sustainable fishery by-products and fish-processing waste. The data were analyzed thematically, guided by the most meaningful stories, and show that fish waste, or fishery by-products, should not be considered less valuable than the fish itself but is a precious and profitable resource capable of bringing health, social, economic, and environmental benefits. Our results reveal that fishery waste can expand local communities’, especially fishers’ and other workers’, potential for jobs or alternative income-generating tasks during fishing ban seasons. Finally, suggestions for managing fishery waste and fishery by-products are made to ensure improved and sustainable utilization via a circular bioeconomy.

PEMODELAN JUMLAH WISATAWAN DENGAN AUTOREGRESSIVE INTEGRATED MOVING AVERAGE DAN RECURRENT ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK

Tourism has become a priority area for Indonesia's economic development. Tourism is expected to be one of the main drivers of Indonesia's economic growth through job and business creation, foreign currency earnings and infrastructure development. In addition, tourism can be used to introduce the identity and culture of the community. Therefore, tourism development will continue and increase through the expansion and utilization of national tourism resources and possibilities. In this study, the number of foreign tourist arrivals will be predicted using the ARIMA model and the Elman-RNN model, given that the pattern of tourist arrivals is not always linear. The data used is the data from the survey results of the Central Statistics Agency. The data is divided into two parts, namely in-sample data and out-sample data. Of the two models, the model of the Elman-RNN network is the best model with the smallest MAPE and RSME values.

Evaluation of Hot Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Genotypes for Yield and Quality in Ethiopia

Hot pepper (Capsicum annum L) is the dominant vegetable crop grown in different parts of Ethiopia playing an important role for nutrition, income generation and foreign currency earnings. The production of the crop, however, is constrained by pre- and post-harvest-pests and limited improved varieties with important traits such as disease resistance.Therefore, a field experiment was conducted at Melkassa and Mehoni agricultural research centers during the main and off-seasons in 2017 and 2018 to develop hot pepper varieties with high green and/dry pod yield and acceptable pod quality. The experiment comprised of seven hot pepper genotypes (PBC-731, ICPN-9#16, PBC-602, Rivival, PGRC-80021, Melka Awaze, and Marko Fana) laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. They were evaluated for yield and physical pod characterstics at two different locations. The overall combined total green pod yield across locations/season and years showed non-significant difference among genotypes, but genotypes ICPN 9#16 (262 q/ha), Rivival (249 q/ha), and PBC 602(208 q/ha) gave higher total green pod yield than standard check varieties in that order. Similarly, though there was no significant difference among genotypes for the combined analysis of variance for total dry pod, PBC 602 (30.8 q/ha), Rivival (29.4 q/ha) and ICPN 9#16 (29.3 q/ha) gave higher yield compared to the check varieties. The per location and combined analysis of variance showed significant (P<0.01) differences in marketable and total green and dry pod yields at Melkassa and Mehoni during the rainfed seasons, but only at Melkassa under irrigation condition. Significant differences were also observed among the genotypes in plant height, pod number per plant, pod length, and pod wall thickness. Moreover, PBC-602 had elongate pod shape, green pod color, smooth pod surface, and highly pungent which are the preference of consumers in green pod markets. Similarly, Rivival had elongate pod shape, dark green pod color, brown dry pod color, smooth pod surface and medium pungency which could be used for both dry pod and green pod markets. Consequently, Rivival named as Gebaba (for green and dry pod), and PBC-602 named as Chala (for green pod) purposes were released for production in agro-ecologies of Ethiopia similar to that of Melkassa and Mehoni. The released varieties thus should be promoted for production under wider areas recommended for hot pepper. Keywords: genotypes, wall thickness, pungency DOI: 10.7176/ALST/92-01 Publication date: February 28 th 2022

Assessing the Main Priorities Area and Opportunities for Banks Financing in Leather Industry in Ethiopia

This assessment is to identify the main opportunities of Ethiopian Banks for financing in leather sector. This can be done by analyzing data and drawn conclusions. The assessment also tries to identify comparative advantage of financing on leather sectors on banking performance. Also identified specific area of sub sectors to play significant roles in generating income from especially, exporting of the raw hides, skins, in leather sector. Also found from the assessment that Ethiopia have potential economy in the sectors because of the availability of such raw material, and high market supply of demand of leather from excess resource. Raw Hide and skin, and leather and finished leather sector has huge potential to achieve foreign exchange for Ethiopia, it is identified as one of the potential sectors that could play a crucial role in achieving long run the foreign currency earning of the country, expanding employment opportunities and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) due to abundant labor and excess raw material. Then found, gain from the contribution of this sector to the country’s economy, highly significant and demanded in many international markets. The main export destination of Ethiopian leather and leather product are: China, Europe union’s countries (Italy, Germany, UK.), Japan, Hong Kong, United States of America, the main source of foreign exchange earner in each year. Keywords: Leather, Leather product, Benefit, export DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/13-1-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2022

China-North Korea merchandise trade and tourism industry relationship in stage 2017-2019 under the impact of International sanctions

Since 2017, the United Nations has strengthened the economic sanctions on North Korea. Many countries have stopped trading with North Korea, causing the economic certain difficulties. China has become a trade and tourism partner that accounting for almost all of the country's foreign currency earning. That had gone on until the beginning of 2020 when North Korea locked its borders to avoid the Covid-19 epidemic. North Korea is essentially famous for having published a quite relatively little information about themselves and being nicknamed “The Hermit Kingdom” due theirs policies. Therefore, the article will analyze mirror data from countries, then compare it with the actual situation of North Korea to assess the reliability of the data. Moreover, providing information on transport routes is major contributor to China-North Korea. Thereby, drawing comments on China-North Korea merchandise trade and tourism industry relationship in that stage and proving North Korean economic adaptation under International sanctions. The author also suggests polices to reach the North Korean development of self-reliance economics.