August 17 (SeeNews) - Albania's trade deficit in the seven months through July increased by 1.4% year-on-year, reaching 192 billion leks ($1.7 billion/1.45 billion euro), the statistical office, INSTAT, said on Thursday.
Exports rose 12.9% on the year to 158 billion leks, while imports increased 6.3% to 350 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In July alone, Albania's trade deficit totalled 30 billion leks, up 8.9% year-on-year.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner in the first seven months of 2017, absorbing 69.6% of Albania's exports and providing 47.9% of the country's imports. Other major importers into Albania were Germany, Greece and Spain.
Albania exported mainly construction materials and metals, textile and footwear, minerals, food, beverages and tobacco, and imported machinery equipment and spare parts, food, drinks and tobacco as well as chemical and plastic products.
(1 euro = 132.348 leks)