Exports have increased 18.2% during the first nine months of this year with respect to the same period in 2006, as the country is on track to finish the year with a recordhigh $1.2 billion in total exports (not including free-trade zones), according to the nation’s Export Processing Center (Cetrex).
Exports through the month of September total $952.5 million, up from $805.3 million during the same period last year.
The increase in exports is mainly in agricultural products, with coffee exports recovering strongly from last year and topping the list.
Free-trade boosters note that exports are growing thanks in good part to the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA), which entered into force here last year.
