Foreign trade has slowed down for Albania in the first four months of the year.
In April, the fall was stronger for Albanian exports by almost 20%.
Imports also fell by around 4%, while the trade deficit continues to widen.
Foreign trade has now moved into negative territory compared to the same period last year.
Statistics agency INSTAT explains that the devaluation of the euro also influenced the sharp drop in exports, as 75% of Albanian exports go to the EU.
Construction materials and metals experienced the strongest contraction in exports, influenced by the drop in prices in international markets, followed by the group of minerals, fuels and electricity.
There was also a contraction for the group of textiles and shoes. Manufacturing firms were among the first to report being hit hard by the devaluation of the euro, as their contracts signed a year ago included a different exchange rate level.
Meanwhile, the export of food products had an anemic growth of only 0.2%. Exports, during this four-month period, decreased by -3.4%, compared to a year ago.
In these four months, Albania has sent less goods to Italy, Germany and China, while we have had some growth in exports with Greece, Kosovo and Spain
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