Reviewed archive · August 19, 2026
Shrimp and mining exports rose as cacao fell in first-half 2026
Originally published August 19, 2026 · Reviewed September 25, 2026
Ecuador exported $19.571 billion in goods during January–June 2026, 4% more than in the same period of 2025, according to the central bank. Non-oil exports were $14.651 billion, up only about 1%. Both are values of goods shipped over the six months, not forecasts or measures of company profit.
The non-oil headline hides opposing product trends. Shrimp exports totaled $4.698 billion and mining products $2.634 billion; bananas and plantains brought in $2.361 billion. Meanwhile, the value of cacao and cacao-product exports fell 57% year over year. The bank calculated that non-oil exports excluding cacao would have grown 12%, compared with roughly 1% for the full non-oil basket.
That contrast shows why a rising export total does not mean all producing sectors gained. The central bank's product bulletin separates value from shipped volume and unit prices. A lower dollar value can reflect price changes, quantity changes or both; it should not automatically be described as a comparable fall in harvested cacao output.
Imports rose faster than exports, increasing 18% to $17.232 billion over the same six months. The resulting goods-trade surplus was $2.339 billion, down 44% from a year earlier. A positive surplus and a shrinking surplus are therefore both true for this period. These figures stop at June 2026; later releases describe different reporting periods.
Sources
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