Exports declined 11.6 percent year-on-year to USD 18.74 billion in September, mostly due to lower sales of primary goods (-14.5 percent); and industrial (-6.8 percent), of which semi-manufactured products (-32.1 percent), namely iron (-59.3 percent), wood (-44.9 percent), copper (-44.4 percent) and sugar (-36.8 percent); while manufactured rose 4.4 percent.
Among major trading partners, exports went down to China (-10.7 percent), the US (-31.4 percent), Argentina (-33.7 percent), and ASEAN countries (-8 percent).
Imports increased 5.7 percent to USD 16.49 billion, boosted by higher purchases of capital goods (95.1 percent). On the other hand, imports dropped for intermediate (-3.9 percent); consumption goods (-8.5 percent); and fuels & lubricants (-6.7 percent).
Among major trading partners, imports advanced from China (5 percent), Canada (21.6 percent) and Japan (1.2 percent), but fell from Argentina (-24.6 percent), the EU (-6.8 percent) and the US (-7.6 percent).
Considering the first nine months of 2019, the country recorded a USD 33.79 billion trade surplus.