In seven months, products and services worth more than 581 million euros were sold abroad
The comparison of 2020 with 2019 in terms of foreign trade again leaves negative results, a consequence of the crisis caused by the health emergency of the pandemic in mid-March. The new balance was given yesterday by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, which published the report for July and the analysis of accumulated exports and imports from January to July, also with data from the Albacete province and each territory. July was a month but a year ago, with 85 million euros invoiced from the province to other countries, almost 20% less than in 2019; imports in that month reached 59,4 million euros, 16,3% less than purchases outside Spain by companies from Albacete.
With these numbers, the year-on-year balance does not improve compared to previous months. In seven months, products and services worth 581 million euros were exported from Albacete, 1% less than at the same time the previous year. It is a fact that worsens the interannual evolution of Castilla-La Mancha, where exports fell by 12,9% (almost 7,5 million), but which is at least better than the drop in the entire country, 3.964%. Within the region, only Cuenca has improved its export figure this year, with provisional growth of 14,6%. In the rest of the provinces, the year-on-year comparison is negative, even though the provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real export well above the rest, with turnovers in each case exceeding 12,9 million euros.
The Territorial Directorate of Commerce-ICEX in Castilla-La Mancha also echoed these data yesterday in a press release, and also alluded to imports, which "decreased only 2,4% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching 4.988 million euros, while in Spain they fell by 18,2% to 155.367 million euros. By importing provinces, Guadalajara had 5,8% less turnover, while Toledo improved 3,5%, Ciudad Real 8,9%, and Cuenca 12%. Albacete has negative numbers, on the other hand, with 477,3 million euros in imports from January to July, 7,3% less than in 2019.
THE EXPORTED AND IMPORTED. The ministerial report also gives clues as to which sectors are the most present in internationalization. In Albacete, from January to July, food and beverages were the most exported, with 222,6 million euros, more than 38% of all exports; capital goods also invoiced another 115 million, another 19,8% of the entire export pie. In imports, capital goods account for more than 44% of purchases outside the province and the country, close to 211 million; food and beverages, on the other hand, do not reach 17% of everything imported this year, less than 80 million euros.
On these numbers released yesterday, the Minister of Economy, Business and Employment, Patricia Franco, spoke during her visit to La Roda in the morning. Franco commented on the data in a regional key, and highlighted that "exports have brought very good news to the region, it is true that they are down, but below the national average; the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the internationalization of companies is perceived. The counselor highlighted that at the national level the fall in exports is double, it is possible to think that the recovery is better in the community: «There is a capacity for recovery of our companies, but the footprint of the Covid is visible, together we have to try to support companies in this internationalization strategy with initiatives that we are putting on the table”. It is part of the "commitment of the regional government with the support of the foreign promotion of companies in Castilla-La Mancha," said the regional administration counselor.
MARCELO ORTEGA / ALBACETE
Source: The Tribune of Albacete
