Imports of school supplies grew 65%, but have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels

The Foreign Trade Research and Development Institute of the Lima Chamber of Commerce (Idexcam) reported that between August and December 2021 the importation of school supplies reached US$8,800,000, which represents a growth of 65% compared to the same period in 2020 (US$5,400,000). Nevertheless, If we compare with 2019, we observe that the US$ 18,500,000 reported in that year is not reached, registering a negative rate of 52%.

These results are not only due to the impact of the pandemic of COVID-19 that forced the development of remote classes for schools, institutes, and universities, which generated less demand for these products, but would also be explained by the global crisis in the supply chain that began last year and that continues to prevent good development international trade, especially in China, our main supplier.

“These factors are going to impact Peruvian imports, since experts have already anticipated that global bottlenecks are going to accentuate in the first three months of 2022,” warned the head of the IdexcamOscar Quinones.

This performance is also explained by the inventory of school supplies that vendors still maintain and that could not be dispatched as a result of the pandemic and, by the resurgence of coronavirus infections, which would affect the return of schoolchildren to classrooms. in that sense, the demand for tools would fall.

Performance

Between August and December 2021, compared to 2020, it was observed that most school supplies showed significant progress; however, seven of them, when compared to 2019, registered significant falls.

Among the articles with good results in 2021 compared to 2020, are the drafts with the acquisition of 10 million 750,816 units (+376%) for US$ 546,288 (+371%), but when compared to 2019 there is a 4% drop in volume and a 19% growth in value.

Meanwhile, imports of crayones totaled US$ 310,482, representing a growth of 277% after acquiring 6 million 969,602 units (+452%) in the period August-December 2021-2020.

In the case of notebooks, 396,988 units (+71%) were imported for a value of US$ 550,486 (+178%). Although the amounts show growth, they still continue to be lower when compared to 2019. Regarding imports of pencils, Peru acquired 8 million 347,196 units, which presented a drop of 71% compared to 2020; while the imported value was US$ 1,200,000 (+80%). If we compare the results of 2021-2019, we have that the value fell 89% and in volume 91%.

Meanwhile, 12 million 683,253 (-25%) of pencils for US$ 2,300,000 (+35), a result that differs from 2019, where the value and volume fell 54% and 75%, respectively.

In relation to the cutters, Peru imported 10 million 777,436 units (+33) for US$ 587,802 (-1%), but compared to 2019, the falls are around 44% both in value and volume. As for the color pencils, imports totaled US$ 2,300,000 (+37%) after the purchase of 18,331,619 units (+7%), however, these figures do not exceed what was recorded in 2019.