, which reached US$32.211 billion in the first half of 2022 —an amount 18.4% higher compared to the same period last year. The latest amount accounts for an additional US$5 billion.
"Peru is a country open to trade. We continue working to strengthen our exports, which have been growing uninterruptedly for 22 months, being important generators of employment and economic growth. It is the commitment of this democratic Government led by President Pedro Castillo," he underlined.
In this sense, the Cabinet member said exports growth is mainly due to higher prices of energy goods (natural gas in Europe +320%), minerals (tin +43% and zinc +35%), and
agricultural products (coffee +54%). The price of copper —Peru's main export product— experienced a 7% increase.
According to the Ministry's Monthly Trade Report-June 2022, sales abroad increased 21.9% that month, accumulating a rise of 18.4% during the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2021.
The sectors that grew the most in the first half of 2022 were oil/gas (+179%), chemicals (+40.1%), textiles (+37%), forestry (+31%), and farming (+20%).
For their part, the goods that climbed the most were coffee (+328%), natural gas (+388%), blueberries (+118%), and ethyl alcohol (106%).
Moreover, mineral exports —which account for 60% of Peruvian sales abroad— rose 6.3% in the first half of 2022 thanks to higher sales of molybdenum (+58%), zinc (+20%), and copper (+8%).
Concerning textiles/clothing, sales of cotton products expanded 43%.
In the chemicals category, exports of sulfuric acid stood out (+283%).
Regarding the agriculture sector, together with those of coffee and blueberries, shipments of Persian lime (+81%), grapes (+17%), and cacao/derivatives (+10%) experienced increases.
Between January and June, 6,851 companies exported goods. Of these, 2,115 sent farming products.
Besides, during the first half of this year, exports from the interior zones grew 16% thanks to higher shipments from 17 regions of Peru.
Markets
During the first half of 2022, the growth of the country's foreign trade was mainly geared towards countries of the Americas (+38.5%) —mainly the United States (+53.1%) and Brazil (+45.8%).
It must be noted that the war between Russia and Ukraine has affected the regular supply of fertilizers. Purchases of these products from Russia fell 22% between January and June 2022.