Peru’s exports rose 31 percent to $17.0 billion in the first five months of this year compared to $13.0 billion in the year-ago period, according to export association Adex.
Traditional exports brought in $13.2 billion in the January-May period, a 29 percent increase over the same period last year, state news agency Andina reported.
Within the traditional sector, oil and natural gas exports saw the biggest rise with a 53 percent increase, followed by agriculture at 47 percent, mining at 27 percent and fishing at 9 percent.
In terms of value, mineral shipments are the biggest contributor to Peru’s exports and regularly represent more than 60 percent of the total.
In the January-May period, mineral exports brought in $10.4 billion thanks to higher metal prices that have helped to offset declining production.
Meanwhile, non-traditional exports rose 39 percent in the period with shipments from the non-metallic mining sub-sector growing 153 percent to $172 million. The textile sector saw a 41 percent increase, while the steel and metallurgy sector had a 36 percent rise.
China was the main destination for Peruvian exports, taking in $2.63 billion mainly from copper and iron ore shipments.
The United States was the next biggest market with $2.11 billion, followed by Switzerland at $1.89 billion and Canada at $1.64 billion.
