By Eliane Portillo

Mexican exports totaled $349,676.9 billion dollars in 2011. This reported an annual growth of 17.2%, a positive performance in the midst of the global economic decline.

However, it was inevitable that the export sector lost strength on 2010 when they totaled $298,361.2 billion dollars and grew 29.8%, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics. The lower dynamism of the foreign sales was mainly due to the slowdown of manufacturing exports in 2010 which recovered to a rate of 29.5%, while for 2011 advanced 13.4%.

In particular, exports of the automotive sector that in 2010 expanded 53.3%, in 2011 recovered to 21.9%. This performance responded to the loss of strength of the United States which affected demand for Mexican products.

In contrast, oil exports maintained its expansion pace: in 2010 advanced to 34.8% and in 2011 to 35.3%. This was a result of stabilization that Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) achieved in its production and export platform, as well as the permanence of high oil prices.

Another sector that had a good performance was the extractive, due to international prices of metals. In 2010 foreign sales of this activity recovered to 67.4% and for 2011 did it at a rate of 67.6%, implying that in less than two years the extractive sector doubled its exports.

By 2012, CAPEM consulting forecasts that exports will reach $368,865.2 billion dollars.