GERMAN exports fell for a second consecutive month in September while imports nearly stagnated, the statistics office said Tuesday, in a further sign that supply chain disruptions are complicating the recovery of Europe’s largest economy.

Seasonally adjusted exports dropped 0.7 percent on the month to 112.3 billion euros (US$129.75 billion), compared with economists’ expectations for no change.

Imports were up 0.1 percent to 99.2 billion euros, weaker than the 0.6 percent rise predicted.

Compared with February 2020, the month before the coronavirus pandemic hit Germany, exports were still down 0.3 percent whereas imports were up 7.8 percent, the seasonally adjusted data showed.

“Supply bottlenecks are weighing on production, which in turn is holding back exports,” Bankhaus Lampe economist Alexander Krueger said, adding that this trend would likely continue for the rest of the year.

The trade surplus stood at 13.2 billion euros in September, much lower than during the period before the pandemic, when it often exceeded 20 billion euros each month.

A breakdown of year-on-year trade data showed that German exports to Britain fell by 10 percent to 5.7 billion euros and imports from Britain dropped by 20 percent to 2.3 billion euros.

German exports to China dropped 0.2 percent to 8.5 billion euros and exports to the United States rose 16.2 percent to 10.8 billion euros. (SD-Agencies)