June 5, 2023, 5:30 PM
June 5, 2023, 5:30 PM
According to the National Statistics Institute (INE) the volume of gas exports fell by -19.74% to the first quarter of this year in relation to the same period of 2022. However, YPFB assures that, in relation to the month of April, in March external sales of fuel grew by 6.9%.
The value of exports, according to the INE, fell by 16% in the first quarter, reaching $us 575.2 million. Figure less than $us 684.8 million, registered in the same period of 2022.
This fall, according to the entity, se is due to a decrease in sales of hydrocarbons.
While the volume went from 932 million cubic meters in the first quarter of last year to 748 million cubic meters in the same period of this 2023.
While exports drop, fuel imports increased by up to 19%, reaching $712 million.
Taking monthly growth as a reference, the INE reported that there is a 6.9% growth between February and March of this year. The volume went from 700 million cubic meters to 748 million.
This increase is explained, according to the state entity, to the greater requirement of Brazil that went from demanding 513 million cubic meters, in February, to 606 million cubic meters in March; instead, the volume exported to Argentina decreased from 187 to 142 million cubic meters.
In its report, the INE indicates that the volume exported to Brazil is the highest in the last 12 months, only surpassed by the nomination sent in March 2022, which was 663 million cubic meters.
While, in the case of Argentina, the March nomination is the lowest since January 2022. The largest volume sent to the neighboring country was registered in July of last year with 465 million cubic meters.
The INE report also states that, in March 2023, the imported volume of diesel reached 182,000 cubic meters, presenting an increase in relation to February; explained by the greater demand of the productive sectors such as mining, transportation, construction and mainly agribusiness.
Regarding the import of gasoline, in the same period, it registered an increase in the import volume, which reached 90,000 cubic meters.
On the other hand, the Oil and Natural Gas Production Volume index, in its monthly behavior, as of March 2023, it presented a negative cumulative variation of 10.8%explained by the behavior observed in the indexes accumulated to the same period of natural gas and oil with -10.5% and -12.9%, respectively.
