Overview
- Peru's exports rose to USD 28,725 million in the first quarter, a 37.8% year-on-year increase, the Central Reserve Bank of Peru reported on Monday.
- The BCRP said the jump was driven mainly by higher international prices for traditional commodities, with minerals up about 37.3%, while non‑traditional exports grew only modestly and agro and fish products made smaller contributions.
- Argentina's Economy Minister posted that fishing exports reached about USD 867 million in January–April 2026, a 32% rise, while the industry group Capeca using INDEC data put the figure at USD 905.7 million for the same period.
- Capeca and its president Eduardo Boiero say roughly USD 405 million of Argentina's export gains came from a single species, Illex squid, and they warn that higher export dollars do not equal company profits given steep fuel costs, export taxes and labor disruptions.
- Analysts and industry groups say headline trade gains can reflect price swings or short‑term biological abundance and urge watching coming months for similar species-driven spikes and for signs that firm-level profitability and policy costs are changing.