Editing Madagascar (section)

===Natural resources and trade===
[[File:Raffia animals created by artisans in Madagascar.jpg|thumb|left|Toy animals made from [[raffia]], a native palm<ref>Rodd & Stackhouse (2008), p. 246</ref>]]
Madagascar's natural resources include a variety of agricultural and mineral products. Agriculture (including the growing of [[raffia]]), mining, fishing and [[forestry]] are mainstays of the economy. In 2017 the top exports were vanilla (US$894M), nickel metal (US$414M), cloves (US$288M), knitted sweaters (US$184M) and cobalt (US$143M).<ref>{{cite web |title=Madagascar Economic Statistics |url=https://tradecouncil.org/madagascar-economics-statistics-2019/ |publisher=International Trade Council |access-date=16 April 2020 |location=Washington D.C. |date=2019 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Madagascar is the world's principal supplier of [[vanilla]], cloves<ref>{{cite web |author = United Nations |title = FAO Stat |publisher = Food and Agriculture Organization |url = http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx |year = 2013 |access-date = 13 April 2013 |archive-date = 13 July 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110713020710/http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx |url-status = live }}</ref> and [[ylang-ylang]].<ref name=gafilo/> The island supplies 80% of the world's natural vanilla.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pilling|first=David|date=5 June 2018|title=The real price of Madagascar's vanilla boom|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/02042190-65bc-11e8-90c2-9563a0613e56|access-date=20 September 2018|archive-date=20 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920195743/https://www.ft.com/content/02042190-65bc-11e8-90c2-9563a0613e56|url-status=live}}</ref> Other key agricultural resources include coffee, [[lychee]]s and shrimp. Key mineral resources include various types of precious and semi-precious stones, and it currently provides half of the world's supply of sapphires, which were discovered near [[Ilakaka]] in the late 1990s.<ref>Pezzotta (2001), p. 32</ref>

Madagascar has one of the world's largest reserves of [[ilmenite]] (titanium ore), as well as important reserves of chromite, coal, iron, cobalt, copper and nickel.<ref name=EBLand/> Several major projects are underway in the mining, [[Petroleum|oil]] and [[Natural gas|gas]] sectors that are anticipated to give a significant boost to the Malagasy economy. These include such projects as ilmenite and zircon mining at the [[Mandena]] mine by [[Rio Tinto Group|Rio Tinto]],<ref name="RioTinto">{{cite web |title= About QMM |publisher= Rio Tinto |year= 2009 |access-date= 19 September 2012 |url= http://www.sherritt.com/Operations/Metals/Ambatovy-Joint-Venture |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120702181446/http://www.sherritt.com/Operations/Metals/Ambatovy-Joint-Venture |url-status=dead |archive-date= 2 July 2012 }}</ref> extraction of nickel by the [[Ambatovy mine]] near [[Moramanga]] and its processing near Toamasina by [[Sherritt International]],<ref>{{cite web |title= Metals – Ambatovy Joint Venture |publisher= Sherritt International Corporation |year= 2012 |access-date= 19 September 2012 |url= http://www.sherritt.com/Operations/Metals/Ambatovy-Joint-Venture |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120702181446/http://www.sherritt.com/Operations/Metals/Ambatovy-Joint-Venture |url-status=dead |archive-date= 2 July 2012 }}</ref> and the development of the giant onshore [[heavy crude oil|heavy oil]] deposits at [[Tsimiroro]] and [[Bemolanga]] by [[Madagascar Oil]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Madagascar's oil fortunes evolving slowly |publisher= PennWell Corporation |date= 7 February 2012 |access-date= 19 September 2012 |url= http://www.ogj.com/articles/print/vol-110/issue-2/exploration-developmet/madagascar-s-oil.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130208082330/http://www.ogj.com/articles/print/vol-110/issue-2/exploration-developmet/madagascar-s-oil.html |url-status=live |archive-date = 8 February 2013}}</ref>

Exports formed 28&nbsp;percent of GDP in 2009.<ref name=BGNote/> Most of the country's export revenue is derived from the textiles industry, fish and shellfish, vanilla, cloves and other foodstuffs.<ref name=AEO2011/> France is the nation's main trading partner, although the United States, Japan and Germany also have strong economic ties.<ref name=EBLand/> High-value cash crops for export such as lychees are more recent growth areas, with 18,000 tons sold abroad in 2023, of which 16,000 tons were exported to Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-17 |title=Madagascar's lychee growers in crisis as production plummets |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20241117-madagascar-prized-lychee-growers-face-crisis-as-production-plunges-climate |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=RFI |language=en}}</ref> 

The [[Madagascar-U.S. Business Council]] was formed in May 2003, as a collaboration between [[USAID]] and Malagasy artisan producers to support the export of local handicrafts to foreign markets.<ref name="handicrafts">{{cite web |last1 = Ashamu |first1 = Charlotte |first2 = Diego |last2 = Gomez-Pickering |first3 = Amanda |last3 = Luke |last4 = Morrison |first4 = Paul |first5 = Mark |last5 = Pedersen |first6 = Mara |last6 = Symes |first7 = Marthe |last7 = Weyandt |title = Made in Madagascar: Exporting Handicrafts to the U.S. Market: Final Report |publisher = United Nations Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development |year=2005 |url = http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/academics/concentrations/epd/documents/2004-5/MalagasyHandicrafts_Report.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120320070928/http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/academics/concentrations/epd/documents/2004-5/MalagasyHandicrafts_Report.pdf |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date =10 July 2011}}</ref> Imports of such items as foodstuffs, fuel, capital goods, vehicles, consumer goods and electronics consume an estimated 52&nbsp;percent of GDP. The main sources of Madagascar's imports include [[China–Madagascar relations|China]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mg2.mofcom.gov.cn/article/bilateralcooperation/201908/20190802895188.shtml|title=Aperçu de la coopération économique entre la Chine et Madagascar|website=mofcom.gov.cn|access-date=30 November 2019|archive-date=4 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204131452/http://mg2.mofcom.gov.cn/article/bilateralcooperation/201908/20190802895188.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> France, Iran, Mauritius and Hong Kong.<ref name="BGNote" />