Export volume of non-traditional products grew 18.4% in October of 2024

In October of 2024, the volume of export of non-traditional increased in 18.4% compared to the same month of the last year. The National Institute of Statistics and Informatics, in the technical report Evolution of Exports and Imports, stated that this result was based in the positive evolution of the agricultural, metal-mechanic, chemical, textile and iron and steel industries.

Regarding this issue, the volumes exported from the agricultural sector increased in 29.4% due to the shipments of blueberries (56.2%), raw cacao (89.5%), fresh or refrigerated asparagus (9.8%) and cocoa butter (73.9%). The exports of metal-mechanic sector registered a progress of 35.9%, driven by the commercialization of windshield, windscreens and other windows (393.2%) and automobiles for the transportation of more than 16 persons (430.0%).

The volumes exported of the chemical sector increased in 8.5%, due to the increase in the sales of photopolymer plates of polypropylene (53.2%), zinc oxide (9.2%) and plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, of polymers of ethylene (15.4%). The textile sector grew in 10.9% as a result of the greater transactions of cotton T-shirts (48.9%), cotton knit shirts (25.1%), knitted cotton fabric (27.5%), as well as nightdress and pajamas of cotton for women or girls (146,0%).

Likewise, contributed the greater requirements of other plates and strips of refined copper of thickness higher to 0.15 mm (181.9%), as well as bars and profiles of refined copper (138.4%), corresponding to the iron and steel industries sector that showed a progress of 6.7%.

During the tenth month of 2024, the real value of traditional exports decreased 10.6% compared to the same month of the last year, as a result of the contraction in the shipments of mining products (-13.1%). Nevertheless, a positive behavior registered the oil and natural gas, agriculture and fishing sectors.

Therefore, the mining volume exported decreased 13.1%, due mainly to the reduction of shipments of copper (-19.7%), and in real terms totalized US$ 1,446.20 million. In spite of it kept as the main product exported. It followed the same trend, the zinc (-26.4%) and lead (-21.8%). On the other hand, the shipments of gold (16.0%), tin (22.4%), iron (37.0%) and refined silver (2.7%) grew.

The shipments of fishing traditional products grew in 3.6%, explained by the greater volume exported of fish oil (188.6%), meanwhile that the fish meal decreased in 42.8%.

The agriculture volume exported increased 1.8%, mainly by the greater sale of coffee (3.5%). Likewise, the exports of oil and gas increased in 19.3% due to the effect of greater exported volume of oil derivates (25.6%) and raw oil (77.9%).

The imports increased in 5.8% compared to the same month of 2023, result which added four months of uninterrupted growth. During the period January-October of 2024, the real imports grew in 5.6% compared to the same period of the last year, mainly due to the greater income of capital goods and construction materials (8.1%), and raw materials and intermediate products (5.7%).

The import of consumer goods increased in 12.6% compared to the value reached in October 2023. Influenced in this performance the greater purchases of non-durable (12.6%) and durable (12.5%) consumer goods.

Non-durable consumer goods most demanded were medicines for human use (10.0%), other footwear (46.5%), medicines for oncologic treatment or HIV for retail sale (73.1%), beauty preparations make-up and skincare (10.4%), and cotton T-shirts (29.8%). Among the durable consumer goods outstood televisions (41.5%), plastic manufacturing (41.5%), the rest of vehicles (8.3%), motorcycles and velocipedes with piston engine (21.1%), as well as the combination of refrigerator and freezer with exterior separated doors (36.7%).

The volume imported of capital goods and construction materials grew in 10.4% compared to October of 2023, associated to higher purchases of goods in its different uses or economic destinations.

The purchase of capital goods for the industry increased 7.3% due to the increase in the acquisition of smart phones (14.3%), machines for data processing of weight lower or equal to 10 Kg (54.2%), telecommunication devices by carrier current or digital telecommunications (11.4%), wheel loaders and hooking-up loaders of frontal load (36.8%), as well as machinery parts and devices of cranes, lifting appliances devices of air cable, front bulldozing, dock levelers and other machines to excavate and compact earth (62.8%).

The importance of transportation equipment increased 14.9%; at the level of products outstanding the ensembled pick-up trucks (10.0%), trucks for cargo transport (54.8%) and diesel vehicles for cargo transport higher than 20 tons (21.6%).

The same behavior showed the imports of construction materials, that increased in 20.1%, in particular, the iron or non-alloy steel bar with indentations, ribs and notches (297.1%), as well as, crawler tractors (24.8%), machines and devices for agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, poultry farming and others (29.4%), within the capital goods for the agriculture.

The volume imported of raw material and intermediate products was higher in 0.1% to the level reported during the month of October 2023, due to the higher purchases of raw materials and intermediate products for agriculture (13.0%) and industry (7.9%), counterbalanced by the lower purchase of fuels, lubricants and allied imported products (-17.5%).

Among the raw materials and intermediate products for the industry of greater demand were the polypropylene in primary forms (45.0%), durum wheat for sowing (11.0%), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (46,5%) and low density (14.5%), regarding the raw materials and intermediate products for agriculture.