November 30 (SeeNews) - Albania's trade deficit increased 16.3% year-on-year, reaching 275.1 billion leks ($2.15 billion/2.03 billion euro) in the first ten months of 2016, the statistics office, INSTAT, said on Wednesday.
Exports fell 3.5% to 198.8 billion leks, whereas imports increased 7.1% to 473.9 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In October alone, exports added 7.2% to 21.7 billion leks, while imports decreased 1% to 49.8 billion leks.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner in the first ten months of 2016.
Albania exported mainly textiles, footwear, minerals and fuels, and construction materials. The country imported predominantly machines, equipment and spare parts, as well as food, beverages and tobacco.
(1 euro = 135.646 leks)