MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay records US$ 57 million foreign trade surplus in October

Imports went up and exports went down last month

Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) foreign trade (Comex) report released Wednesday in Asunción showed a US$ 57.1 million surplus last month after exports amounted to US$ 13.6649 billion against imports worth US$ 13.6077 billion. In other words, sales fell 4.5% yoy while purchases grew 5.1%.

The reduction in exports was due mainly to lower sales of electric energy, in addition to a drop in corn shipments and the fall in soybean meal and oil prices. Shipments made under the so-called maquila regime reached US$ 927.4 million, 8% higher than in the same period of 2023. Sales of primary products totaled US$ 3.754 billion in October, particularly driven by corn and sesame seeds.

On the other hand, purchases went up 5% interannually, with registered imports accounting for 97 % of the total, reaching US$ 13.2167 billion, a 6.6 % increase from October 2023. In terms of volumes, imports grew 13.3%, the BCP also explained.