Uruguayan exports of goods grew by 43% in 2021, compared to the previous year, according to the organization Uruguay XXI. This rise in foreign sales, he adds, “implies a strong rebound compared to the 2020 record, which was greatly affected by the health crisis. Likewise, exports grew 26% compared to 2019, which accounts for the increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.”
Beef was the main product with an upward trend, both due to favorable prices for businessmen and higher volumes exported. “Exports of electrical energy and pulp also showed strong increases, in a framework of higher export prices. Other products with a positive impact on the annual variation were wood, meat by-products, soybeans and beverage concentrate”, adds the report from Uruguay XXI.
China was again Uruguay’s main trading partner in 2021, representing 28% of exports of goods, with US$3,277 million exported. In second place was Brazil (16%), followed by the European Union (14%), Argentina (5%), the United States (5%), and Egypt (4%), adds the summary.
2022 will be more moderate in performance, they anticipate, but favorable conditions will remain. According to Uruguay XXI estimates, exports of goods would grow in the order of 5% in 2022, totaling over US$ 12,000 million.
