According to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec), in December, Argentina's trade exchange increased by 30.2% compared to the same month of the previous year, reaching a total of US$12.405 billion. During that month, exports amounted to US$7.035 billion and imports to US$5.369 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of US$1.666 billion, remaining positive for the thirteenth consecutive month.
Exports increased by 33.4% compared to 2023, mainly driven by a 39.3% increase in export quantities, despite a 4.2% drop in prices. The growth of agricultural origin manufactured exports was notable, reaching US$2.431 billion with a 36.7% increase, and industrial origin manufactured goods reached US$2.216 billion with a positive variation of 26.4%.
Primary products increased by 32.6% to US$1.356 billion, while fuels and energy totaled US$1.032 billion, 43.6% more than in the same period of the previous year.
Regarding imports, they increased by 26.2% compared to December 2023, due to a 36.9% increase in imported quantities, despite a 7.3% decrease in prices. All categories of imports saw increases except for fuels and lubricants, which decreased by 42.9%, and intermediate goods, which fell by 2.6%.
Capital goods saw an increase of 84.9% in imports, as a result of an 87.5% increase in imported quantities, despite a 0.7% decrease in prices. Meanwhile, consumer goods recorded a rise of 53% due to a 50.8% increase in imported quantities and a 1.6% increase in prices.
