WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – The value of goods exported from Latin America and the Caribbean grew by 15.7 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, building on the 7.8 per cent growth last year, the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) has reported.

In the latest edition of “Trade Trends Estimates-Latin America and the Caribbean,” the IDB said that the increase reflects faster growth in both export volumes and prices.

It said regional export growth was driven primarily by mining products, particularly gold and copper, and strong performance in agribusiness products such as soybeans, coffee, and meat. Oil exports also contributed significantly.

“The region continues to strengthen its export performance and is demonstrating a growing capacity to adapt, even amid an uncertain, volatile global trade environment,” said Paolo Giordano, principal economist in the IDB’s Productivity, Trade, and Innovation Sector and coordinator of the report.

This export momentum creates an opportunity to advance reforms that boost productivity and competitiveness, diversify participation in international markets, and strengthen resilience to external shocks.

The region’s trade outlook remains positive despite a highly uncertain environment. Changes in global prices could place additional pressure on countries that import energy and food, while benefiting commodity exporters.

However, higher fertiliser and transportation prices could impact production and marketing costs, creating both opportunities and risks for the region’s export performance in the coming months.

Total imports in Latin America and the Caribbean grew by an estimated 6.7 per cent in 2025 and 9.7 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. This acceleration was driven mainly by purchases from outside the region, while intraregional trade expanded more moderately.

Commodity prices followed divergent trends in 2026, reflecting growing fragmentation and shifts in global supply and demand.

According to the document, Barbados recorded a figure of 0.1 per cent increase for the first quarter of this year as compared with a minus 6.5 per cent for the corresponding period last year. Belize registered a minus 9.1 per cent this year, down from minus 15.2 per cent last year, while Guyana’s trade increased by 37 per cent as compared with 20.8 per cent in 2025.

While the other Caribbean countries, namely Bahamas, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago had produced figures for the first quarter last year, the report showed that they did not provide figures for this year.