Trade in April closed with a surplus of 1.131 billion dollars, thus reversing the deficit of 887 million from the same month in 2018, due to the sharp drop in imports, the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) reported on Thursday.
Last month, exports reached $5.305 billion and imports, $4.174 billion.
In this way, in the first four months of 2019, exports totaled 19.491 billion dollars and imports, 16.345 billion dollars, so the trade surplus was 3.147 billion dollars.
In April, exports increased by 1,7% compared to the same month in 2018, mainly due to a 10,3% increase in quantities, as prices fell by 7,7%.
Imports, meanwhile, fell 31,6% compared to the same month last year. Prices fell 3,5% and quantities shrank 29,1%.
According to INDEC, “the trade surplus was the result of an increase in exports, mainly explained by an increase in sales of cereals; common metals and their manufactures; and oilseeds and fruits, and meat and edible offal; and a drop in imports, mainly of vehicles and machines, appliances and electrical material and their parts.”
Partners
As usual, in April the main trading partners were Brazil, China and the United States, in that order. These three countries together accounted for 29,5% of Argentina's exports and supplied 51,3% of imports.
Exports to Brazil reached $889 million and imports from that country, $952 million.
Exports to China totaled $339 million and imports $689 million, while exports to the United States totaled $336 million and imports from that country reached $502 million.
The following countries also stood out for their exports: Vietnam (259 million dollars), Chile (231 million dollars), the Netherlands –including the port of Rotterdam, transit to other countries– (199 million dollars), Egypt (182 million dollars) and Peru (149 million dollars).
In terms of imports, Germany (US$230 million), Paraguay (US$197 million), Thailand (US$106 million) and Mexico (US$100 million), among others, also stood out.
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