The BCR notes that textile materials and their manufactures are among the main goods shipped to the United States.
A 7.9 percent of what the United States imported from Central America during the first half of 2024 were Salvadoran goods, according to the latest report of the Office of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The document reveals that the United States imported $1.6 billion from around the world, 28.6 percent coming from Mexico and Canada, its main trading partners.
The portion is shortened when only the Central American region is analyzed, which contributed 0.9% of all the goods that the United States bought from the world.
Of the more than $15,256.8 million marketed by the seven Central American nations, only $1.208.7 million came out from El Salvador, 7.9 percent of the regional total.
On Salvadoran assets, the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) said that during that period $1,106.1 million was sent to the United States.
Trade between Central America and the United States was pushed by Costa Rica and Honduras, both contributing more than $8,576.9 million, 56.2 percent of the total goods marketed.
Third is Guatemala with $2.820 million, followed by Nicaragua, after sending $2,323.8 million.
Panama and Belize were the countries that exported the least goods to the United States, with $286.2 million and $41 million, respectively, according to the BEA.
What does El Salvador export?
According to the U.S. government report, of every $100 the U.S. buys from the rest of the world, only $0.07 enters El Salvador.
The disparity and dependence that El Salvador has on the United States is proven by the figures. The Salvadoran market ranks 69th among the main commercial suppliers, while, at the level of US exports, it takes the 47th place.
For its part, in El Salvador, the United States takes the first place as a trading partner in both variables. According to the BCR, during the first half of 2024, Salvadoran companies sent $1,106.1 million to the U.S. market, 34.5 percent of the more than $3,209.3 million traded overall.
The unions have confirmed that the fall in demand from the US market has hurt exports to shrink in recent months. Until last June, the overall decline was 6.7 % compared to the same period of 2023, while to the United States the reduction was 12.3 %.
At the import level, El Salvador acquired $2,260.9 million from the United States, 29.03 percent of the $7,789.1 million imported from all countries.
The BCR notes that, in the United States, Salvadoran entrepreneurs mainly export textile materials and their manufactures, as well as products from the food, drinks, alcoholic liquids and vinegar industries.
In imports, El Salvador acquires textile materials and their manufactures, in addition to products from the plant kingdom and machines, among other goods.
This article has been translated after first appearing in Diario El Mundo