Business
These are the most exported and imported products in 2024
Kosovo continues to have a negative trade balance, although there is a slight increase in the value of export goods. At the same time, the import also increased in 2024, compared to 2023.
During the past year, Kosovo exported goods worth 889 million euros, while it imported 6. 38 billion euros. In the past year, one of the most exported products was electricity worth nearly 150 million euros, followed by door and window items worth over 98 million euros. While the articles of iron bars occupy the third place with a value of 93 million euros. According to the official data of the Kosovo Customs, the fourth place among the most exported products from Kosovo is occupied by furniture, beds and mattresses worth over 92 million euros. The decrease in the value of exports, compared to 2023, is observed in plastic and furniture products and mattresses. Although during 2023, the first place for export was held by these items (mattresses) worth over 146 million euros. Meanwhile, during the year 2024, Kosovo has mostly imported petroleum and oils, where their value reaches over 710 million and 300 thousand euros. After that, with nearly 678 million euros, Kosovo bought cars and other means of transport. Meanwhile, the third place in the import is occupied by machines, work tools, auto parts and other similar goods worth 464 million euros.
According to the data of the Kosovo Customs sent to KosovaPress, in 2024 Kosovo imported more cars worth over 90 million euros compared to 2023.
Here you can see the graph for exports and imports: Regarding these trade data, the executive director at the GAP Institute, Blend Hasaj, in a statement for KosovaPress, says that in the last 25 years, governments did not pay due attention to the development of production capacities in Kosovo. As a result of the large import, Hasaj points out that there is a sudden increase in prices, affecting the general economy of the country. Blendi Hasaj adds that one must be careful with the mechanisms by which local products are supported, for which he mentions that everything must be transparent. Meanwhile, the executive director of the LLC Development Group, Shenoll Muharremi, said that the latest official export data suggest that Kosovo during December 2024 sold 578,477 MWh of electricity abroad. "This is an incredible capacity that I don't believe has ever happened before. Is this related to the reductions and the terror that the citizens and businesses of Kosovo experienced? I don't know", wrote Muharrem. He also wrote that exports are tracked, it is understood that Kosovo exported 94 million euros of electricity during December 2024, mainly to Albania (the majority), but also to Slovenia and North Macedonia.
"This high volume and value of energy sold happened during December, when Kosovo, families and businesses, faced an internal energy crisis, where some businesses were closed because they could not operate", he writes.
Customs officials have told KosovaPress that from January to December 17, 2024, Kosovo exported goods worth 889 million euros and 302 thousand euros, while the import was 6 billion and 38 million euros.