Moldova's trade deficit widened 18.5% on the year to $283.3 million (266 million euro) in the first two months of the year, the country's statistics bureau said on Wednesday.

Moldova's exports rose 23.9%, while imports rose by 21.3% through February, the statistics office said in a statement.

In February alone, exports rose 27.5% on the year to 176.6 million euro, while imports rose 15.9% to 332.7 million euro.

In 2016, Moldova's trade deficit narrowed 2.2% on the year to $1.97 billion.