The Colon Free Zone (ZLC) closed the first quarter of the year with a growth of 42% compared to the first three months of last year. The value of the transactions until March 31 totaled $7,468 million.

The commercial movement was boosted by the 77% growth registered by the re-exports (sales) of the commercial complex between January and March. In the first quarter, re-exports totaled $4,693 million, while imports (purchases) reached $2,774 million dollars, which represented an increase of 6%.

Continental China, the European Union, Singapore, the United States, and Mexico are the main suppliers of the companies that operate in the ZLC, while Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Honduras top the list of destinations that load the most receive from the free zone of the province of Colón.

The sale of electronic products, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, perfumery and cosmetics, clothing in general, common metals and alcoholic beverages remain among the main drivers of growth in the Free Zone.

The numbers for the first quarter of 2023 confirm the growth that the second largest free zone in the world has been registering since mid-2022, after leaving behind the 20% drop that commercial movement registered during 2020 when the complex remained closed due to the pandemic.