Rising exports lifted Colombia’s trade surplus to $233 million in February 2010, up from a $42 million deficit in the same month a year earlier, according to figures released Thursday by statistics department DANE.
The U.S. remains by far the largest destination for Colombian exports, with a bilateral surplus of $1.09 billion, while the Netherlands came second with a $194 million surplus.
The figures boosted the trade surplus for the first two months of the year to $593 million, despite the country suffering from the trade restrictions imposed by Venezuela in March.
Colombia’s National Business Association announced Friday that it had found new markets to replace the $2 billion worth previously exported to Venezuela.
A much larger amount of imports from Mexico handed Colombia its widest trade deficit of $373 million.
China has recently emerged as an important destination for Colombian goods, with an increase of nearly 500% in exports to the Asian giant announced Thursday.