TIRANA, June 17 /ATA/ – Albania’s goods exports rose 2.8% year-on-year in May to 32.7 billion leks, while imports increased 4.1% to 80.9 billion leks, official data showed on Wednesday.
Data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) showed that growth in exports was driven primarily by higher shipments of food, beverages and tobacco products, which contributed 3.3 percentage points to the annual increase. Construction materials and metals added 2.2 percentage points, while machinery, equipment and spare parts contributed 1.1 percentage points.
The textiles and footwear sector was the main drag on export performance, reducing overall export growth by 4.3 percentage points.
On the import side, the largest contribution came from minerals, fuels and electricity, which added 3.2 percentage points to annual import growth. Imports of food, beverages and tobacco products, as well as chemical and plastic products, also increased, while machinery, equipment and spare parts recorded the largest negative contribution.
Exports to Kosovo and Greece increased during the month, while shipments to Italy and Germany declined, according to the data.
Imports rose notably from Italy and China, while imports from Germany and Spain fell.
Trade with European Union member states continued to account for the largest share of Albania’s external trade, representing 56.5% of total trade turnover. In May, 66.1% of Albanian exports were destined for EU markets, while 52.6% of imports originated from the bloc.
Albania’s trade deficit widened to 48.2 billion leks in May, up 5.1% from the same month a year earlier and 9.3% from April, INSTAT said.
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