Alicante’s exports They don’t lift their heads under its weight The complex moment experienced by the shoe industry some manufacturers of intermediate goods, such as aluminum producers, as well as the remaining sectors more directly linked to consumption, such as textiles and toys. November data confirmed this once again. decreased for the fifth month in a row Foreign sales of companies in the province.
According to ICEX information, shipments of Alicante companies to other countries increased that month 585.7 million eurosso one 7.3% decrease Compared to the same period in 2022. It’s a slightly more pronounced drop than the drop recorded nationally, which reached 34.878 million, a 6.7% drop, according to the same sources.
With these last numbers The amount accumulated between January and November reaches 6,447 million euros, which is only 1.09% lessThanks to the fact that exports continued to increase in the first half of the year due to the inertia that continued from the previous year.
Shoe
The most worrying situation in terms of sectors is shoeDue to its weight in the provincial economy in particular and exports as a whole, this sector alone represents approx. One fifth of Alicante’s foreign trade. November’s figures were again quite negative, without reaching the drop of more than 40% experienced in October. Businessmen from Vinalopó sold value 77.6 million euros, i.e. 23% less Based on the same month in 2022.
This, 1.113 million accumulated for the year euro, 9.1% less. Or, to put it another way, the industry has only grown so far this year. has already lost sales of 113 million euros in foreign markets.
President of the Valencian Shoe Entrepreneurs Association (Avecal), Marian Cano, remember that employers have already warned about the situation. “The first half of the year was positive but we knew that this trend would reverse mainly as a result of the global crisis. decreasing purchasing power of families “This affects shoe sales because it is not a basic necessity product like food,” he says. The worst part is that the forecasts for 2024 are in the same direction due to the slowdown in consumption. Other “With the conflict in Gaza and now the crisis in the Red Sea, which forces companies to establish new routes, international Challenges such as the geopolitical situation should also be added; which means: increased shipping costs and order delays“.
A situation that fully affects the exports of other sectors directly linked to family budgets; Textile or toyHaving recorded a 24% decline in November with exports of 11.8 million units, it has achieved total sales of 125 million units so far this year, a decrease of 15.1%.
Like other industries marbleIn November, raw stone shipments decreased by 21% to 3.5 million, while shipments of processed products decreased by 1.8% to 8.8 million shipments.
Likewise industry aluminum It recorded one of the largest decreases – 24% compared to November last year, 22.9 million – because to the lower orders we have to add the decrease in the price of this material.
Agriculture
As for the situation in the agricultural sector, one is lime and the other is sand. On the one hand, Vegetable sales increased by 10.2% In approximately the same month of 2022, although Asaja became the president of Alicante with 53.5 million. José Vicente Andreu, He points out that a significant part of these exports respond to export shipments, not to products coming from the province. Products produced by Alicante exporters from other parts of Spain. “The winter vegetable season in Alicante in November has not yet started,” he emphasizes.
For your part, Fruit shipments decreased by 9.7%Sales of almonds fell to 66.7 million due to a decline in sales of almonds – “There is overproduction in California, which has reduced the demand for Spanish products,” says Andreu – and a reduced clementine harvest.
On the positive side, improvement is noticeable in machinery exports (+15.5%) and furniture exports (+10.2%), but in the latter case it cannot compensate for the data of previous months, so the annual figure remains in the negative zone.