Chilean exports fell 2.4 percent in the second quarter of 2020 year on year, totaling 16.76 billion U.S. dollars, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Chile’s Central Bank reported on Monday.
The sectors that saw the biggest drop in exports were agriculture, fruits, livestock, forestry products, and fish and seafood, which fell 18.3 percent.
The industrial sector saw a decline of 11.8 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
One exception was mining exports in general, which grew 6.8 percent.
Imports in the second quarter amounted to 12.81 billion U.S. dollars, a 25.9 percent decrease year on year.
Mining and industrial imports fell by 63.7 percent and 22.4 percent, respectively, while agriculture, fruits, livestock, forestry products, and fish and seafood grew by 7 percent.
Regarding the destination of Chile’s exports, Asia received 60.1 percent of shipments abroad, followed by the Americas with 24.8 percent.
According to the central bank, Asia was the only export destination to see growth, mainly driven by purchases from China.
