Oct
27
Employers expressed great concern at 37.5% drop in exports
No doubt we are well concerned, Efe said the president of the Panamanian Association of Exporters (APEX) MaximoGallardo, who estimated that the decline could be even higher than official figures laexpresada by the Comptroller of Panama.
Gallardo said the decline in exports as Vadel year is closer to 40 percent and said it affects tremendously in the export sector assets.
The latest report from the National Institute of Statistics yCenso of the Comptroller of Panama (INEC) said that between January 2009 yagosto the value of exports of goods totalizo548, $ 8 million, a 37.5 per igualperiodo percent from 2008, when totaled 877.8 million dollars.
Gallardo said at contribuyeronfactores exports slump and the loss of tariff preferences OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) during the previous government.
In addition, affected the global economic crisis and debilitamientodel dollar, which occurred in the U.S. and Europe, principalesmercados for Panamanian products, are restricted to lasimportaciones property, said the president of APEX.
Garcia expressed his hope that sediscutiran with several measures in the National Assembly and sectoragroindustrial benefit of agriculture, and eventual ratification of the U.S. delCongreso Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on exports ritmode can recover a medium to long term.
The drop in exports has also influenced the January and August bajadaentre value products such as bananas, quesegun the INEC, shrank by 47 percent, pineapple, 9.7 percent; coffee, 39.3 percent, beef 6.1 percent, and sugar sinrefinar, 39.3 per percent.
As for imports, the document stresses that estastotalizaron 4.879 million dollars in the first eight months de2009, down 18.8 per cent over igualperiodo, 2008 when the total was 6.006 million. EFE