Statistical data for May 2020 continue to reflect the fall in slate exports caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic. These data speak of 19% less product output in the first five months of 2020, compared to the figures for the same dates of the previous year.
In May 2019, the main recipient of our slate, France, stopped importing 21% less material, billing 8.7 million euros, slightly more than 19 million less, compared to data for the month of May 2019. United Kingdom registered higher import reduction figures, placing its purchases at 34%, which translates into just over 10 million euros less in turnover.
The fall also occurred in May in slate exports to Germany. The country cushioned the fall of these negative figures, registering an export level practically equal to that of the same period in 2019. Despite this, May was for Germany the first month of 2020 in which exports suffered a standstill with respect to data from the previous year.