Colombia’s exports to Venezuela were worth $652 million between January and May of 2010, 71.4% lower than the same period in 2009, according to the country’s national statistics agency DANE.
The drop in exports is the result of trade restrictions imposed on Colombia by its neighbor.
Venezuela froze diplomatic ties and imposed trade sanctions on Colombia in July 2009, after Colombia announced that it would sign a military agreement with the U.S. allowing the North American country access to seven of its military bases.
Although Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has criticized the trade embargo as a Latin American “Berlin Wall,” Venezuela sees the sanctions as a response to a threat to its sovereignty.
Colombia’s Central Bank forecast a fall of about 60% in exports to Venezuela in 2010, to total $1.5 billion.