The foreign trade of the metal industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) increased last year, and the total export amounted to 5.9 billion BAM, which is 1.9 billion BAM or 49 percent more than in the same period last year.
The analysis of the Foreign Trade Chamber (FTC) of BiH showed that imports in this sector also increased, amounting to 7.9 billion BAM, which is an increase of 2.1 billion BAM or 36 percent.
In the total trade of the metal sector, the export and import of iron and steel, as well as the electrical industry and the automotive industry, are in the lead.
The largest imports
When it comes to iron and steel, last year’s export amounted to 849 million BAM, which is an increase of 390 million BAM or 85 percent. It was most exported to Serbia, Romania, Turkiye, Croatia, and Slovenia.
This sector recorded imports of 973 million BAM, which is an increase of 418 million BAM or 75 percent. Most imports werefrom Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, and Hungary.
The electrical industry recorded exports of 1.1 billion BAM, which is 273 million BAM or 33 percent, while the value of imports was 1.3 billion BAM, which is 114 million BAM or 10 percent more than in 2020.
Rail vehicles
”If we analyze the export of the electrical industry, including the parameters of quantity, we can conclude that the growth is very real because only a small part of this increase is due to inflation and rising raw material prices,” the FTC of BiH stated.
In the automotive sector, both exports and imports increased last year, and the value of exports amounted to 437 million BAM, which is 57 million BAM or 15 percent more, while imports were 1.4 billion BAM, or 283 million BAM, which is 25 percent more than in 2020.
BiH exported rail vehicles, vehicles, and their parts to Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Slovenia, and Italy, while the Netherlands, Germany, Slovenia, Serbia, and Croatia are the leaders in imports.