In February, requests to export goodsen —including free zones— they totaled US$ 1,020 million, indicating a growth of 51% in year-on-year terms. In addition, foreign sales accelerated their pace of placement compared to the US$ 883 million recorded in January.
As reported by Uruguay XXI, beef was once again the product with the highest incidence in the increase in February. Exports of dairy products, rice, wheat, cellulose, vehicles, barley and wood also explain the increase.
In the accumulated of the first two months of 2022, exports were for US$ 1,862 million. This number implies a 44% increase in the year-on-year comparison. The main boost in sales is given by bovine meat, while dairy products, beverage concentrate and vehicles also show significant increases.
The meat taken off by China
Beef sales abroad continue with strong dynamism. In February 2022 grew 85% in the year-on-year comparison, reaching US$ 247 million. Beef was the first product exported in February with 24% of the total and had the greatest impact on the variation in foreign sales. In a framework of strong external demand, the average export price was a boost to sales and increased 32% year-on-year. For its part, volumes placed grew 40% in the same comparison.
Uruguay XXI
At destination level, China remained the main buyer of meat with 59% of February exports. Loans to the Asian country expanded 115% compared to the same month in 2021. Sales to the European Union also grew substantially in this period. Thus, in the first two months of the year Beef sales stood at US$456 million, a record 59% higher than the same period in 2021.
While, rice also had a positive effect on the variation in February. Rice exports tripled compared to the February 2021 record, reaching US$46 million. Still, the record for that month had been particularly low. At the destination level, the increase was due to higher sales to Mexico, which totaled US$23 million in February. Sales to Brazil, Costa Rica and Belgium also grew. Meanwhile, in the January-February period, rice exports accumulated US$61 million, growing 41% in the year-on-year comparison.
Uruguay XXI
Wheat exports stood at US$ 54 million in February, for which they increased 158% in the year-on-year comparison. The rise is due to both better prices and higher volumes exported. In the first two months of the year, wheat sales totaled US$90 millionwhich marks an increase of 64% compared to the same period of 2021. The placements went mostly to Algeria, but also to Chile and Brazil.
Uruguay XXI
Dairy products ranked third in the month’s export ranking, with a 7% share. In February, the exports of these products reached US$ 73 million, growing 61% compared to the same month last year. The increase is essentially explained by increased sales of powdered milk to Algeria. The same they reached US$22 million, while in February 2021 they were just US$6 million. Increases were also seen in milk powder sales to China, Egypt, Colombia, the United Arab Emirates, Cuba and Russia. In contrast, sales to Brazil fell significantly. Butter exports also grew significantly in the month (61% year-on-year), due to higher shipments to Russia. On the other hand, sales of cheeses abroad grew 15%, totaling just under US$ 8 million. This way, exports of dairy products stood at US$ 137 million in January-February, presenting an increase of 35% compared to a year ago.
On your side, foreign sales of vehicles showed a strong increase (175%) in the year-on-year comparisonl, significantly influencing the monthly variation of the total exported. The increase is largely explained by sales of the Ford company, which inaugurated a new assembly line in the Nordex plant last November. The product ranked 10th place in the February ranking, with sales of US$ 34 million. Placements went to Brazil (US$28 million) and Argentina (US$6 million). In the accumulated figure for the year, vehicle exports reached US$ 56 million, well above what was recorded a year ago, highlighted Uruguay XXI in its report.
Finally, the Pulp sales, which was the second most exported product in the month, stood at US$ 125 million in February. This number implies a 23% increase in the year-on-year comparison, which is due exclusively to a price effect. The share of this product in the month’s exports was 12%. Thus, in In the period January-February 2022, pulp exports reached US$ 213 million, 21% above the same period a year ago.
No surprise in destinations
China remains Uruguay’s main market with 31% of total exports. Placements to the Asian country stood at US$222 million in February, showing an increase of 83% compared to February 2021. Beef accounted for 66% of what was exported to China, with US$147 million and a year-on-year increase of 115%. Other products sold to China in February were meat, wood and dairy products, according to Uruguay XXI.
Uruguay XXI
While, Brazil was ranked as the second export destination, with a 17% share and US$ 115 million. This figure implies a rise of 7% in the interannual comparison. The increase is explained by higher sales of vehicles, plastic and rice. However, Dairy product placements fell 63% compared to February 2021.
