Argentina's trade balance surplus reached 926 million dollars in September, which is 42.8 percent lower than the September 2008 surplus, the Economy Ministry reported.

This is the lower figure reported this year since January. Analysts were expecting a surplus of around 1.12 billion dollars for this month.

The government reported that export fell 34 percent to 4,581 million dollars compared to the same month last year, while import dropped 31 percent to 3,655 million dollars.

The trade balance is the difference between export and import. If export figures are superior to import, then the trade balance generates surplus and is considered positive.