São Tomé and Príncipe

Economic sectors

The São Toméan economic sectors are influenced by its size and geographical position. The agricultural sector is mainly export-oriented and devoted to cocoa production, so that the country relies heavily on imports of food. Agricultural production is extremely sensitive to weather and prices in the international market; therefore, part of the government's policy of economic diversification is further development of fishing and tourism. Tourism is a growing sector and has been considered a priority for future development. The industrial sector is very limited. All told, agriculture contributes 23 percent of GDP in 1997, industry contributed 19 percent, and services contributed 58 percent.