Uruguay closed the year 2009 with a drop of about 10% in exports compared to 2008 while other countries of the region suffered a 25%. Its success is due to the country expanded its market. "We have a diversified export trade and are concentrated in countries that are very dynamic, as are China and Brazil," said Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, Andres Masoller.

Masoller explained that during the crisis of 2002, Uruguay had concentrated its exports in Mercosur (60%) which was fatal after the collapse of Brazil in the 99 and Argentina in 2001. This time, the vast majority of falls in exports were also in Mercosur, the European Union, NAFTA countries and the Middle East. However, the Rest of Asia, where China is included, significantly increased.

Executive Secretary of the Union of Exporters of Uruguay, Teresa Aishenberg, recognized a good job of government in this field. "The presidential visits reinforce the actions of importers and are very influential," she said.

Currently the government and exporters are developing a comprehensive export strategy at the Institute Uruguay XXI. In the past five years, Uruguay nearly doubled the amount of exports, diversify its destinations and rose in nontraditional as software, wheat and rice.

Moreover, a novelty is that it is coming strongly to the structure of Uruguayan exports are the Services. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in 2008 amounted to 1,053 million dollars. For 2009, the Tourism Minister Héctor Lescano, already announced it will be around 1,300 million, up 19% over the previous year.

(www.180.com.uy, 5 January 2010)