What is a Guam export? It is something intended for sale or trade originating on Guam that is shipped from Guam to the United States or a foreign country. Agents from the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency (GCQA) process exports at its service centers located at the Port Authority of Guam and Guam International Airport. The commodities reported herein are for re-sale, thus excludes the military, government, promotional and personal items.

The U.S. government adopted the Harmonized System on January 1, 1989, as the direct basis for its new export and import classification systems. Guam, as well as most of the nations of the world, adopted this system on January 1, 1988. Commodities exported from Guam are identified by its commodity classification code on the shipper’s export declaration form. Other information, such as the commodities trade name, U.S. dollar value and its volume based on an international standard of measurement are required prior to export.

The promulgated administrative rules and regulations as authorized by Title VLIV, Chapter 1, §47064 GCA now rests with the Bureau of Statistics and Plans. The Bureau, as mandated by Public Laws No. 20-147 and 26-76, shall conduct, or cause to be conducted, investigations, studies, surveys, research and analysis relating to physical, human, social, and economic development of Guam and to publish the results. These rules and regulations concern the collecting of socio-economic information from businesses and individuals.

The Bureau of Statistics and Plans is using the established simplified Harmonized System as adopted by the former Department of Commerce. All documents submitted to the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency for release of cargo must contain information as outlined in §3005.1, 3005.2 and 3005.3 of the former Department of Commerce Administrative Rules and Regulations. Section 3005.1 defines imports and exports of goods and sets up guidelines to insure certain information is included on each official import and export document.

This report, with abbreviated Harmonized Classification Codes and better defined commodity descriptions, contains the value of exports on a quarterly basis of the calendar year, the top 20 export commodities, export value by country of destination as well as the percent distributions by commodity group.

Please see http://www.bsp.guam.gov/ for External Trade Historical Data, and http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/wpacfin/guam/doc/pages/gdoc_data_menu.php for Guam’s fishery transshipment statistics information.