Peru's total exports amounted to US$7.466 billion during the first two months of 2018, up by 10.2% over the same period last year, the Association of Peruvian Exporters (ADEX) reported.
According to ADEX Chairman Juan Varilias, Inca shipments increased 22% last
January and slid 0.4% in February.
Likewise, he projected exports will reach nearly US$50 billion by year-end, which would be a record high since 2011 (US$46.4 billion).
The Adex official also underlined Peru is on a development path. However, there is still much work to be done —especially in the highlands and jungle.
Traditional and non-traditional
This rise was mainly underpinned by the positive performance of
mining (US$4.451 billion),
fishery (US$138.771 million), and
agriculture (US$ 81.644 million) sectors.
Top destinations were China, the
United States,
India, South Korea, and Switzerland. Together, they hosted 67.6% of the total primary exports.
On the other hand,
non-traditional sales reached US$2.121 billion in the analyzed period, an 18.3% expansion compared to the same term last year.
Sectors such as agro-industry (US$989.328 million), chemical (US$247.183 million), and iron-steel (US$215.763 million) stood out in this sense.
Trade balance
All of the above resulted in a positive trade balance which stood at US$768 million.
Within this framework, Peruvian
exports amounted to US$7.446 billion, whereas
imports totaled US$6.678 billion.
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