The exports of Uruguayan goods they ended March with a year-on-year drop and dragged two months of decline. At the end of the first quarter of the year, there was also a drop in foreign sales compared to a year ago.
He Uruguay XXI Institute reported this Monday that exports in March, including free zones, were for US$ 1,033 million with a year-on-year decrease of 4%.
The accumulated amount for the first quarter was US$2,814 million compared to US$2,898 million in the same period of 2022. Thus, placements had a 3% retraction in the interannual comparison of the period between January and March.
Regarding March, the official report indicated that the negative variation was basically due tolower beef sales which were the ones with the highest incidence in the month. However, despite the year-on-year decrease, beef was positioned as the main product sold with US$ 214 million and a 20% decrease. The worst performance was due to exports to China, which fell 34%.
Carlos Pazos
meat for export
cellulose it ranked second for the month. Sales were for US$ 166 with a positive variation of 12%.
In third place were dairy products. Exports totaled US$ 65 million with an interannual increase of 7%. The document indicated that sales to the Brazilian market went from US$7 million in March of last year to US$28 million in the same month of 2023. This increase offset falls in markets such as Algeria and China.
In fourth place were the beverage concentrates. This item showed a growth of 10% in the interannual comparison and had an exported amount of US$ 9 million. Despite this, in the accumulated of the first three months they had a retraction of 4% in comparison with the first quarter of 2022.
The rest of the best-selling products were wood with US$ 52 million, meat by-products with US$49 million, rapeseed and carinata with US$45 million, rice with US$43 million, vehicles with US$36 million and malt with US$29 million.
Destinations
China once again occupied first place in the ranking of countries. It happened despite the drop for the seventh consecutive month. In March, it acquired goods for US$ 177 with a 25% decrease in the interannual relation. Sales of beef and meat by-products fell 34% and 27%, respectively.
Brazil returned to second place as a buyer of Uruguayan goods. Exports were for US$ 161 million with an increase of 22%. The placements of dairy products that had represented 5% of sales to Brazil during the past year went to 17% in 2023.
The third export destination was the European Union (EU). The block took 10% of the total, which meant US$ 92 million and an increase of 41%. Rapeseed and carinata registered placements for US$ 25 million.
USA it was in fourth place with US$ 76 million and an increase of 26%. Beef represented 40% of sales to that market, followed by meat by-products with 30% and wood with 13%.
Fifth place went to Argentina. Sales to that country were for US$ 50 million with an interannual increase of 27%. The growth in the dynamism of vehicle exports, which went from US$3 million in March of last year to US$10 million in the third month of 2023.
