Argentina has a trade surplus of $ 5,589 million in the first half of the year

Argentina's foreign trade posted a positive balance of $ 5,589 million in the first half of 2019, thanks to exports of $ 30,752 million, against imports of $ 25,163 million, according to preliminary figures released today. by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses. (Indec)

According to the Indec report, first-half exports grew 2.4% over the same period last year, while imports fell 27.9%.

The Statistical Report on Foreign Trade of Argentina presents preliminary data for the first six months of 2019, which distinguish the export and import activities broken down by country and by region.

In the ranking of exports by country:

• Brazil leads with 17% of the total,
• followed by China with 7%;
• United States, 6%;
• Chile, 5%;
• Vietnam, 5%;
• India, 4%;
• Indonesia, 3%;
• Holland, 3%;
• Switzerland, 2% and
• Egypt, 2%, among other countries.

In the case of the imports manufactured by Argentina in the first half of 2019:

• Brazil participates with 21 percent;
• China, 18%;
• United States, 13%;
• Germany, 6%;
• Paraguay, 4%;
• Bolivia, 3%;
• Thailand, 2%;
• Mexico 2 percent and
• Spain, 2%, among others.

By regions

Mercosur's exports reached $ 6,135 million, down 8.4%, while imports reached $ 6,667 million, a decrease of 37.8% from the first half of 2018.

The European Union purchased $ 3 851 million from Argentina, 14.9% less than the first half of 2018, and imports from the European bloc totaled $ 4 668 million, with a reduction of 22%.

Nafta (United States, Canada, Mexico) imported $ 2,271 million from Argentina, which implies a 9.4% decrease, while it sold $ 4,022 million to the country, with a decrease of 15.1%.

On the other hand, exports to China (including Hong Kong and Macao) increased by 27.5%, reaching a volume of 2,365 million dollars, while imports from this country fell by 30,4% , for an amount of $ 4,447 million. .

With the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, Argentine shipments increased by 21.9 percent to a total of $ 3,378 million, and imports from the block were $ 1,266 million, down 16.1% from the first half of last year.