TIRANA, Sept 20 /ATA/ In August of this year, Albanian exports increased by 12.9% compared to August of the previous year, reaching 25 billion lek. However, compared to July, exports decreased by 27.9%.

The Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) released today its report on foreign trade, indicating that imports decreased slightly by 2.7% compared to August of last year, while compared to July, they fell more significantly by 19.6%. In value terms, imports amounted to 67 billion lek.
This has resulted in a 10.2% decrease in the trade deficit.

The increase in exports in August was mainly driven by the sectors of “minerals, fuels, and electricity,” which contributed 18.9 percentage points. The “machinery and equipment” group also had a positive impact, contributing 1.5 percentage points.

On the other hand, exports of “construction materials and metals” declined by 6.7 percentage points, while “chemical and plastic products” decreased by 0.6 percentage points.

Regarding imports, the groups that contributed to their decline are “machinery and equipment” with 1.3 percentage points, and “construction materials and metals” with 1.2 percentage points.

Additionally, the “minerals and fuels” group contributed to the decrease in imports by 1 percentage point.

Kosovo and Greece were the main markets for Albanian exports, showing significant growth compared to last year.

/r.e/sm/