Lleida's trade balance (exports - imports) set a new historical record in 2023, with a volume of 4,815 million euros in international trade exchanges. It represents a growth of 2.49% compared to the previous year, according to the study presented this Monday at the Lleida Chamber of Commerce prepared within the framework of the collaboration agreement between the Board of Economic Promotion of the Lleida Provincial Council and the chamber entity with the objective of promoting the competitiveness of the demarcation.
As regards exports, they have reached 2,925 million euros, 0.84% compared to the previous year. Sales of fruit and olive oil have increased while sales of fodder have fallen by 55.39% due to the drought.
The increase in exports compared to 2022 is modest, although if compared to the last seven years, it represents an increase of more than 50%, the Chamber of Commerce has highlighted. Sales of fruit and olive oil grew by 12.38% and 18.26%, respectively. On the other hand, those in the forage sector have fallen by 55.39% due to the decrease in production due to the drought and the increase in national demand.
Geographically, the European Union continues to be the main destination for Lleida exports, which represent 64.83% of the total. France, Germany, Italy and Portugal are the main markets within the Union, while the United States and Morocco stand out as non-EU destinations.
For their part, imports have increased by 5.16%, reaching a total value of 1,890.26 million euros. The growth has been driven mainly by the increase in the import of cereals and live pigs, with increases of 38.98% and 80.52% respectively.
The president of the Lleida Chamber of Commerce, Jaume Saltó, highlighted that Lleida's trade balance "continues to be positive, with a surplus of 1,035.30 million euros, contrasting with the deficit balances of Catalonia and Spain."
However, Saltó has highlighted the drop in the number of exporting companies, which has gone from 3,085 to 2,503. In most cases, he said, these are companies that had recently started exporting and that have found themselves in a "complex" geopolitical context, and he added that the Chamber wants to help and advise companies so that they can make the leap to the international market with guarantees.
For all these reasons, Saltó has highlighted that the record figures for 2023 show "the strength and resilience of the region's business fabric in a challenging global context." For his part, the president of the Provincial Council, Joan Talarn, recalled that the regions of Lleida are doing their homework well in the sense of "being a dynamic economy that is making the effort to transform itself in favor of a circular, green production system." and highly digitized".
Talarn has highlighted the good economic figures of the demarcation to demand the unfolding of the future railway highway for goods between Zaragoza and the port of Tarragona and the creation of an intermodal railway station in the future industrial estate of Torreblanca-Quatre Pilans. "It links the Mediterranean axis with the central axis and Lleida is in the middle, and that is an opportunity that we must take advantage of," said Talarn.
