Georgia’s negative trade balance was $1.131 billion in the first quarter of 2021 compared with $1.218 billion in the same period in 2020, the National Statistics Office said.

The country’s trade turnover totalled $2.774 billion, 0.3 percent lower than in the first three months of 2020. In January-February 2021 the trade turnover was $1.654 billion.

Exports equalled $821 million, 5.3 percent up from January-March 2020, while imports stood at $1.952 billion, 2.4 percent lower than in the same period last year.

The country’s main trading partner in the first three months of 2021 was Turkey, followed by Russia and China. Main exports were copper ores and concentrate, ferro-alloys and motor cars.

The country’s trade deficit in 2020 was $818.6 million, up from $790 million in 2019.