Almost a third of Montenegrin exports last year were electricity due to the fact that good rain fell, and that most of the economy - consumers were shut down. Another product is aluminum, which we no longer produce, but only remelt imported and add alloys. Vodka, brandy, dried meat and wine are exported somewhat, and the most complex domestic product is the medicines of the Belgrade representative office of "Hemofarm".
Among the export products are ores of bauxite, lead, zinc and coal. Montenegro spends its forest resources to export the simplest and cheapest products - timber and firewood, to countries that have made a decision to protect their forests.
These Monstat data on trade exchange last year show that the Montenegrin economy is very underdeveloped and that it depends on weather conditions.
Last year, Montenegro had exports of 674 million euros, while imports were 3,8 billion, that is, the coverage of imports by exports was only 17,7 percent. Compared to 2022, exports decreased by 26 million, and imports increased by 270 million euros.
A third of exports depend on rain
With 207 million euros, electricity accounted for 30 percent of exports, thanks to a good hydrological year and record production in the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, but also to the reduction in the work of the largest domestic consumers, the Aluminum Plant and the Iron and Steel Plant. Buyers for electricity were sought on international exchanges and the most went to Bosnia and Herzegovina for 54 million, Serbia for 45,6 million, Slovenia for 45 million, the Czech Republic for 29,2 million, Switzerland for 15,5 million,...
The largest domestic consumer of electricity Kombinat aluminum at the beginning of 2022, due to non-acceptance of the new electricity price from Elektroprivreda, at the beginning of 2022 reduced the production of raw aluminum by 90 percent, and it was completely suspended in May last year. Since then, KAP imports raw pure aluminum, melts it into alloys and then exports it.
So last year, the export of aluminum alloys amounted to 71 million euros, while at the same time the import of raw aluminum was worth 47 million euros. A year earlier in 2022, the export of aluminum was worth 170 million, and the import was worth 140 million.
Last year, we mostly exported aluminum to Hong Kong for 28,5 million, Luxembourg for 23,2 million, Switzerland for eight million... and we imported it from Malaysia for 33,6 million, India for 5,4 million, Russia for 4,6 million...
The Podgorica factory "Hemofarma" is engaged in the production of infusion solutions, ophthalmic preparations and cephalosporin antibiotics. Montenegro exported 41,4 million euros of these products last year, of which 40,6 million went to Serbia.
"Beluga" rose to the top in a short time
The "Beluga" vodka factory was opened in Nikšić in April last year, but it has already become one of the most important Montenegrin exporters. In Monstat's data, the product includes ethyl alcohol, brandy and other beverages with a total export of 23,8 million euros. According to "Vijesti" information, 21 million euros of this amount refers to the export of vodka, and about XNUMX million to the export of brandy and similar drinks "Plantaža".
The most vodka and brandy was exported to Lithuania for 6,3 million euros, followed by 5,6 million to the United States of America, 5,3 million to Israel, 526 million to Latvia... These products were also exported to the United Arab Emirates from 512 thousand euros, to India for 249 thousand, but also to Jordan for 238 thousand, Iraq for XNUMX thousand,...
Ore was exported in the total amount of 22,7 million euros, thanks to the new concessionaires of the bauxite mine and the lead and zinc mine Šuplja stijena near Pljevlja. Bauxite was exported for 7,1 million, lead for 4,1 million and zinc for 11,2 million euros. The most ore was exported to Poland 11 million, Serbia 4,6 million and Luxembourg 4,5 million.
Montenegro exported coal for 12 million euros, of which 11,9 million to Serbia. Thermal power plant Pljevlja, which until last year was almost the only buyer of coal, will not work for seven to eight months next year due to the completion of the overhaul. This would also mean that the Mine would have no income during that period. That's why the company's management started preparing for that period two years ago, looking for buyers abroad. Minister of Energy Saša Mujović recently, at a meeting in Belgrade, he said that it was agreed to continue the export of coal for thermal power plants of Elektroprivreda Srbije.
Dried and smoked meat was exported last year for 20,8 million euros, of which the most was to Serbia for 17 million and to Kosovo for 1,2 million, but this Montenegrin product also reached Germany in the value of 587 thousand euros and Sweden for 392 thousands,...
Export of wine to 35 countries
Wines were exported for 13,4 million euros to as many as 35 countries. The most was sold in Serbia for 7,4 million and in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2,5 million euros. The export to Kosovo was worth 772 thousand euros, it was sold in China for 492 thousand, in Germany for 487 thousand, in Croatia for 477 thousand, in Canada for 188 thousand, in the USA for 178 thousand...
Montenegrin wine reached the table in Japan for 18 thousand, Swaziland for 9,5 thousand, Australia for 4,7 thousand, as well as Kenya for 144 euros.
The largest producer of beer in Montenegro, Trebjesa from Nikšić, is owned by the international group "StarBev", which also took over the brand "Nikšićko pivo" and produces it in its other breweries. This is the reason for the low beer export of only 3,8 million euros. The owner of the group mainly uses beer from Nikšić for sale in Montenegro and for export mainly to three countries - BiH and Kosovo, where sales are worth 1,2 million euros each, and in Albania, two million euros.
The export of meat products amounted to 6,2 million euros, of which 2,7 million were exported to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1,8 million to Kosovo, 101 million to Serbia, but these products also reached Germany in the amount of 74 thousand, Sweden for XNUMX thousand euros,...
Montenegro has and exports some other products in small quantities, such as dried vegetables for 2,4 million, fresh fruit for 2,6 million, cleaning agents - chlorates and perlochlorates for 4,6 million, explosives for 3,4 million, labels of paper for three million, stone for monuments for 2,7 million...
They exported lumber and firewood to countries that protect their forests
The total export of wooden products is 49,7 million euros, but the export of wooden furniture was only 1,4 million euros. Most of the wood was exported as sawn timber for 28 million, while firewood, including pellets, was exported for 15,8 million euros.
Most of the timber and firewood was exported to Albania and Kosovo, which in 2016 introduced a ten-year ban on cutting down their forests.
Thus, the most timber was exported to Kosovo in the value of 11,3 million euros, to Albania for 7,5 million, to Serbia 3,8 million, to North Macedonia 3,1 million,... The most amount of firewood was exported to Kosovo in the value 5,5 million euros, to Serbia for three million, to North Macedonia for 2,9 million, to Italy for 2,7 million, to Croatia for 868 thousand, to Albania for 567 thousand,...
Machines, vehicles, planes... "exported" for one hundred million
About one hundred million euros refers to the export of goods that were previously imported, that is, to its re-export through Montenegrin territory or its return to the country from which it was imported in case of an error or expiry of the deadline.
Thus, Montenegro exported machines and mechanical parts for 24,8 million euros, electrical machines and equipment for 12,5 million, optical equipment for 3,5 million,...
In the same way, vehicles were "exported" for 16 million euros, of which 5,8 million were sent to Germany... 10,2 million euros of airplanes and their parts were also exported, which was partially achieved by the bankruptcy administration of the former "Montenegro Airlines" ” by selling scrapped aircraft. Last year, Montenegro also "exported" oil derivatives for 25,6 million euros. There are about 200 countries and territories on Monstat's list, but fuel exports of 9,3 million euros were registered in the category of "other" countries, while 16,2 million were sold in Slovenia.
Metal money was "exported" to Austria, and jewelry to Turkey
In the statistical books on exports, there is an unusual fact that last year Montenegro exported metal coins to Austria for 6,2 million euros, as well as valuables and jewelry made of precious metals to Turkey for four million euros.
In the tables on imports, it is stated that at the same time metal money was imported from Austria for 3,7 million euros, and valuables made of precious metals from Turkey in the amount of 11 million euros. These data indicate that this metal money and jewelry was imported from those countries for some reason, and later returned, which was recorded as an export.
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