RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Bolivian exports reached US$1.8 billion in February 2022, a figure higher by US$338 million (22.4%) than that recorded in the similar period of 2021, when they totaled US$1.5 billion, Bolivia’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported.
This behavior, they explain, is given by the favorable variations recorded by the economic activities of agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry, and fishing with 5.8%; extraction of hydrocarbons, 27.3%; extraction of minerals, 10.9% and manufacturing industry with 27.7%.
The main products that increased agricultural exports were sesame seeds by 38.2%, unroasted coffee by 21.2%, and bananas by 15.6%.
In the period analyzed, exports of products from the extraction of hydrocarbons showed a gradual recovery, which is explained by the 30.8% growth in the sale of natural gas.
To this, the increase in the mining sector responds to the positive variations registered for zinc at 39.1% and lead at 16.6%, compared to the same period of 2021.
From January to February 2022, the main products of the manufacturing industry activity that increased exports were: tin metal by 109.8%, gold metal by 12.5%, and soybean products by 41.9%, compared to the same period of 2021.
“It is worth noting that, as of February 2022, the increase in exports in the manufacturing industry activity is also explained by exports corresponding to granulated urea, whose value reached US$25.6 million,” INE indicated.
As for the trade balance, Bolivia recorded a surplus of US$231 million as of February 2022, an amount slightly lower than that recorded in the same period of 2021, when the surplus reached US$237 million.