TIRANA (Albania), October 17 (SeeNews) – Albania's trade deficit increased by 8.8% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2019, reaching 256 billion leks ($2.3 billion/2.1 billion euro), the statistical office said on Thursday.
Exports fell 2.8% on the year to 225 billion leks in the period under review, while imports increased 3.0% to 481 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In September alone, Albania's trade deficit amounted to 27 billion leks, up 10.0% year-on-year.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner during the nine months through September 2019, absorbing Albanian exports of 109.4 billion leks and providing imports of 122.7 billion leks to the country. Other major exporters to Albania were Kosovo, Spain and Germany.
Albania exported mainly textiles and footwear, minerals, fuels and electricity as well as construction materials, metals.
(1 euro = 122.513 leks)