Copra, the main cash crop, took many years to recover from the 1972 hurricane and has been affected by fluctuating market prices (although there is a subsidy to producers). Other exports include handicrafts and postage stamps. Most food, fuel, and manufactured goods are imported. Merchandise exports were valued at A $276,000 in 1997, while imports amounted to A $6.1 million that year. Tuvalu's principal trade partners are Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
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