TIRANA, April 17 /ATA/ – Albania’s exports returned to growth in March, supported by higher shipments of fuels and minerals, while imports rose at a faster pace due to the conflict in the Middle East, widening the country’s trade deficit, official data showed on Friday.
Exports of goods reached 32.7 billion lek, up 4.1% year-on-year and 5.6% compared with February, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT).
The increase was driven mainly by the “minerals, fuels and electricity” group, accounting for the largest positive contribution of 5 percentage points. Machinery and equipment, as well as construction materials and metals, also contributed to export growth.
However, traditional manufacturing sectors showed signs of slowdown. Textiles and footwear weighed on overall performance, contributing a negative 1.9 percentage points, while food, beverages and tobacco reduced growth by 0.8 percentage points.
Imports rose to 80.3 billion lek, increasing 8.8% year-on-year and 17.9% on a monthly basis.
The rise in imports was led by machinery, equipment and spare parts, contributing 3.2 percentage points, followed by food, beverages and tobacco with 1.6 percentage points, and construction materials and metals with 1.4 percentage points-pointing to stronger demand for investment and consumption.
As a result, the trade deficit widened to 47.6 billion lek, up 12.2% from a year earlier and 28.2% compared with February.
Trade with European Union remained dominant, accounting for 55.2% of total trade. Exports to the EU made up 69.4% of the total, while imports from the bloc accounted for 49.5%.
Among key partners, exports rose notably to Greece and Kosovo, but declined to Italy and Spain.
On the import side, strong increases were recorded from China and Germany, while imports from Italy and Türkiye declined.
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