Catalan exports increased by 13.4% in April compared to the previous year

Madrid (ACN).- Catalan companies exported goods and services worth €5.05 billion in April, which represents a 13.4% growth compared to the same month of 2012, according to data released on Wednesday by the Spanish Ministry for the Economy and Competitiveness. In the first four months of 2013, Catalonia exported €19.17 billion, a 1% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. Looking at figures for the whole of Spain, exports reached €29.40 billion in April, an 18.6% increase compared to figures from April 2012. Regarding the volume of exports reached in the first four months of 2013, Spain exported 76.98 billion, a 7.5% increase compared to the same period last year. The chemical sector led Catalan exports, followed by capital goods and cars.

Regarding economic sectors in Catalonia, the most active one selling abroad was the chemical sector, which exported €1.39 billion in April, a 19.6% increase compared to the same month of 2012. Between January and April 2013, chemical companies in Catalonia exported products worth €5.22 billion, a 7% growth compared to the same period of 2012.

The chemical companies are followed by those producing capital goods, whose exports in April reached 856 million, a 12.1% increase compared to figures from 12 months ago. Between January and April, the capital goods sector exported a volume of €3.31 billion, which represents a reduction of 1.5% compared to the same period last year.

Lastly, the sector which exported the third most in Catalonia is the automotive industry, with sales abroad reaching €788 million in April. This represents a 7.9% growth compared to the same month of 2012. In the first four months of 2013, car sales abroad reached €2.87 billion, which is a 0.2% drop in relation to 2012 figures.