More than 140 Salvadoran products expanded their export destinations in 2023.

The products with the greatest international commercialization last year were food, beverages, non-metallic mineral products, chemical substances and products, and electrical equipment.

The quality of Salvadoran manufactured products, and the work done by the Government of El Salvador in opening markets allowed last year 148 to expand their export destinations in the world, said the Minister of Economy, Maria Luisa Hayem, recently.

In the framework of the Exporter’s Day, the official said that among the products that last year achieved the greatest rebound are food, beverages, non-metallic mineral products, chemical substances and products, and electrical equipment.

Currently, the Salvadoran export basket is composed of about 900 products, according to data from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR).

“Salvadoran exports continue to diversify and position themselves in international markets,” said the head of the Central Bank.

She also mentioned that there were 55 new destinations, from four continents, to which new national products arrived in the period from January to December 2023.

Hayem indicated that among the nations to which national products were exported for the first time were Switzerland, Spain, Bolivia, China, India, Belgium, Colombia, Morocco and Thailand.

In addition to this, the official said that the strength of the export sector is reflected in the fact that between 2019 and so far in 2024 more than 200 companies engaged in international trade were born in the country.

The minister said that the government is doing its part to streamline international trade with actions to reduce red tape and streamline the customs system, not only in the interior, but also at the Central American level.

“From the Government we are promoting progress towards customs integration with Guatemala and Honduras, an initiative that will bring benefits to companies and consumers, and greater economic growth to our country,” he said.

PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

One of the sectors that has shown an expansion of its marketing destinations during the past year is the pharmaceutical industry, since according to data collected in the Multisectoral Report of the Pharmaceutical Industry 2023 the country managed to enter and expand its marketing volumes in South America.

“We are exporting to Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia and Paraguay, all of which have grown in relation to what we had before”, informed the president of the Association of Chemical-Pharmaceutical Industrialists of El Salvador (Inquifar), Carmen Estela Pérez.

He explained that the conquest of these markets is a relevant fact due to the demanding sanitary quality standards that they demand to the medicines that enter their territories.

“Our incursion into South America is due to the quality of the Salvadoran product, and to be increasingly raising the standards, because the entry into a new market is not determined by a tariff, but that you meet the health standard of the country of destination,” he concluded.

Source: Diario El Salvador.