The exports of goods in Uruguay fell last April a 24.3% if they are compared with the same month of 2022, according to the latest report of the Chamber of Industries of Uruguay (CIU), which reflected operations for a total of 809 million dollars, against the 1,069 from a year ago.
If the last four-month period is taken into account, the survey on Foreign Trade of Uruguayan Goods reflected that exports reached USD 3,199 million during January-April 2023. That figure represents a drop from 11.3% for the same period of 2022.
When measured in physical volumes, the accumulated figure for the year is even more negative, with a decrease of 12.9%. In addition, in case of excluding the external placements of electrical energy carried out by UTE, cumulative exports are reduced to 3,023 million dollars, which means a setback 12.2% against the same period of 2022.
Including the external sales of the main companies installed in free zones and the exports of electrical energy made by UTE, external placements recorded a year-on-year drop of 7.1%, after reaching the 3,738 million dollars.
The origin of the drop in exports
When analyzing the origin of the drop in exports, the focus should be placed on electric power placements. It is that in April 2022 they registered 90 million dollars, much more than the 80 million last month, which resulted in a drop of 10.3%
On the other hand, if external placements are looked at by the category of large items, exports of primary products reached $269 million during the last April, plummeting 31.6% compared to the same month of 2022. The decrease is mainly due to the deterioration in external sales of soybeans.
Meanwhile, industrial exports totaled 459 million dollars in April, with a fall of 21.6% in the year-on-year comparison. In addition, if the accumulated of the year is considered, they decreased 11.9% with respect to 2022.
What were the items that fell the most?
Between the Manufactures of Industrial Origin (MOI), there was a year-on-year drop in 11.4%with a total of 123 million dollars, registering a drop in 11.4% in the comparison with April 2022. In turn, considering the accumulated of the year, they verified a decrease of 3.6% compared to the same period in 2022.
In the report it was possible to observe that the items of manufacturing of motor vehicles, Manufacture of plastic products, Preparations for cleaning and basic iron and steel industries reduced their operations. On the other hand, the external sales of Manufacture of medical instruments and supplies were among those that increased the most in the fourth month of the year, with 1.7%
Regarding Manufactures of Agricultural Origin, exports showed a fall of 24.8% year-on-year, totaling 366 million dollars. In the accumulated of the year, they registered a decrease of 14.3% compared to 2022.
In this regard, the placements of Manufacture of dairy products showed significant dynamism compared to April 2022, with a rise of 29% The figure is given at times when the Association of Workers and Employees of Conaprole (AOEC) jeopardized the sector’s exports this month.
In parallel, the Refrigerators category was significant, with a drop in 40.1%, as well as Tanning and marinating of leather; marinating and dyeing of furs, with a receding of 46.2% and Sawing and planing of wood, whose decrease was 17.3%).
Source: Ambito
