In the first month of the year, imports grew almost 25% in annual terms, while exports rose 9%.
In January Argentina had a commercial surplus of US $ 142 million, the lowest since Javier Milei is president. The reduction in the balance responds fundamentally to the increase in imports, which was more significant compared to what exports had.
Indec reported Tuesday that in the first month of the year the country bought goods abroad for US $ 5,748 millionwhich implied a 24.6% leap compared to the same month of 2024. While the comparison base is low, the figure also exceeds a proportion similar to the average of recent years.
The advance was given by an increase in the quantities, since prices showed low. The imports that rose the most were capital goods (+52.8%), consumer goods (+47.5%) and capital goods (+29.4%). Likewise, the intermediate goods, which explain most of the shopping basket, presented a 10.6%rise.
“If the prices of January 2024 had prevailed, the commercial balance would have shown a deficit of US $ 249 million“They said from INDEC, reflecting an improvement in the terms of exchange.
It should be noted that the decrease in the commercial balance occurs in a context of strong exchange appreciation. This, added to the tax and import regulations, generate incentives to Replace local production with imported products.
Exports rose, but less than imports
Meanwhile, Exports increased 9.1% year -on -year to US $ 5,890 million. In this case, the main rises were seen in fuel part of sales.
The official public statistics agency reflected significant Improvements in the commercial results of the Sojer and Energy Complex. In the first case, higher exports of soybean oil were mainly due, while in the second case a leap into crude oil sales was highlighted.
On the contrary, there was a deterioration in the automotive balance. The fall in vehicle exports for the transport of goods and the increase in imports of chassis, parts and tires, explained the bulk of this worsening.
Source: Ambito
