  Interestingly enough, notwithstanding the decline in imports, there was a 12 per cent increase in foreign exchange sales to the public in the first ten months of 2011, (compared with the corresponding period of last year). Over this period, the Central Bank sold $ 1.3 billion, some 15 per cent more than in 2010.
In the face of lagging private demand, the government budget served as the main driver of economic activity during 2011. Based on preliminary data, the overall balance of central government operations shifted from near balance in FY2010 to a deficit of $ billion in FY2011 (about 3.6 per cent of GDP).