The export requests for goods from Uruguay —including free zones— totaled US$ 1,115 million, which ratifies the strong dynamism of foreign trade at the end of the first quarter of the year, since the year-on-year expansion occurs against a record year as occurred in 2021.
The placements of beef, soybeans, cellulose, vehicles, malt, wood, dairy products, plastics and their manufactures explained the year-on-year increase of 28% in April and 26% if the free zones are left out. Rice, pharmaceutical products, unprocessed barley and beverage concentrate suffered falls in their exports this month, reported Uruguay XXI.
In the first quarter of 2022, exports of goods including free zones reached US$4,006 million. This figure means an increase of 35% in the year-on-year comparison. The dynamism of sales is given by the bovine meat, cellulose and soy, followed by wheat and vegetables.
The data for April
The product that most explained the year-on-year increase in exports in April was bovine meat. Sales of this good reached US$251 million, with purchases mainly from China (a country that accounted for 60% of purchases), the United States (13%) and the European Union (12%). All these partners presented increases in purchases of this good. Overall, the increase was 62%.
Uruguay XXI.
The second product exported was soybeans. Sales amounted to US$248 million, US$ 93 million above the value of April 2021. Uruguay is reaping a harvest that is estimated to be the second largest in generating dollars for the country in its history, with an amount that would be around US$1.7 billion if there are no weather setbacks in the coming weeks.
Cellulose ranked third of the ranking of products with the highest incidence. Exports of this product totaled US$248 million, 60% more than those registered in April 2021.
Fourth place was occupied by vehicles, whose sales reached US$51 million in April 2022. Both Argentina and Brazil increased their purchases of this good in the year-on-year comparison. Argentina, in particular, registered an increase from US$ 0.8 million to US$ 14 million. Brazil did it for a total of US$8 million.
Malt is in fifth place in the ranking. Paraguay increased its purchases of this product by US$3 million and Brazil acquired an item for US$11 million that it had not recorded last year. In total, this month malt exports amounted to
$15 million.
The sixth place was occupied by wood, whose export requests closed at US$ 59 million in the month of April.l. Increases were observed in purchases from all purchasing partners. The main destinations were China (which acquired 31%), India (15%), the United States (14%), Portugal (8%) and Vietnam (7%).
Dairy products ranked seventheither. The exports of these increased 13% compared to April 2021. The main purchasing partner in this area, Algeria increased its purchases of the good by 52%. Other destinations showed falls (Brazil 28%, China 9%, the Russian Federation down to 0% and Chile 5%). The Russian market, the main market for Uruguayan butter, fell off the commercial radar after the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out.
On the other hand, Of the products that registered falls, rice was the one with the highest incidence. Cereal sales amounted to US$ 26 million (7% below the value of April 2021). In this regard, it should be noted that last year Iraq acquired a shipment of rice for US $ 36 million that was not repeated this year. At the same time, Mexico and Peru also recorded declines in their rice purchases compared to 2021, US$9 million and US$2 million, respectively. The destinations that presented increases were Brazil (by US$7 million) and the European Union (by US$1 million).
No surprises in destinations
The main destinations of exports in April 2022 were the usual: China (32%), Brazil (15%), Argentina (10%), the United States and the European Union (9% each). China, whose purchases totaled US$236 million, increased its purchases by 26%. These were made up of 64% beef, 9% soybean, 8% meat by-products, 8% wood and 10% other products.
Brazil was the second most important destination for Uruguayan exportsace. This country increased its purchases by 38%ascending to $112 million. The main goods sold to this market were vehicles (20%), plastics (18%), malt (10%), rice and meat
(7% each).
The third destination of exports was Argentina. The structure of these was: 33% soy, 19% vehicles, 10% auto parts, 6% glues and adhesives, and 32% other goods, according to Uruguay XXI.
