Estonian export reached record value in September amid inflation

In September, the foreign trade of Estonia reached record value in current prices as inflation was a key factor, according the official statistics of the Baltic country.
Statistics Estonia wrote in a press release on Tuesday, November 9, that in September, exports of goods increased by 30% and imports by 37% year on year. In the third quarter, exports grew by 34% and imports by 35%.
This September, Estonia’s exports of goods amounted to 1.7 billion euros and imports to 1.8 billion euros at current prices. The trade deficit was 72 million euros, having increased by 91 million euros compared to September 2020.
Evelin Puura, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, noted that in comparison with both the same month and the same quarter of last year, increased exports and imports of mineral fuels and wood and articles of wood were significant drivers of trade growth. «In September, trade figures reached a new record. Export and import values are the highest ever: this is connected with continuing price increases as well as growth in trade volumes,» explained Puura.
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The main commodities exported in September were mineral fuels, electrical equipment, and wood and articles of wood. Compared to September 2020, the biggest increases occurred in the exports of mineral fuels (up by 163 million euros), wood and articles of wood (up by 74 million euros) and electrical equipment (up by 63 million euros).
The main partner country for Estonia’s exports of goods was Finland, followed by the USA and Latvia. The biggest increase occurred in exports to the USA and the Netherlands. There were larger dispatches of telecommunications equipment, processed fuel oil, and wood and articles of wood to the USA. More processed fuel oil was exported to the Netherlands.
Re-exports from Estonia increased by 34% and exports of domestic goods by 28%. Goods of Estonian origin accounted for 73% of the total exports of goods. In the case of goods of Estonian origin, the biggest rise occurred in the exports of processed fuels, telecommunications equipment, strips of coniferous wood, wooden doors, glue-laminated timber and prefabricated wooden buildings.
Statistics Estonia noted that the main commodities imported to Estonia were mineral fuels, electrical equipment, mechanical machinery, and base metals and articles of base metal. The imports of mineral fuels increased the most (up by 197 million euros), followed by imports of base metals and articles of base metal (up by 59 million euros) and wood and articles of wood (up by 46 million euros).
In September, the top partner countries for Estonia’s imports of goods were Finland, Russia and Germany. The biggest rise was recorded in imports from Finland and Russia. More electrical energy was imported from Finland and more fuel oils from Russia, according to the press release.