Saudi Arabia's nonoil exports in January 2012 rose by 21 percent to SR14.39 billion compared to SR11.89 billion in January 2011, a report issued by the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) said.
Petrochemical products valued at SR4.91 billion topped the list of exports from the Kingdom in January 2012, capturing 34 percent of total exports, followed by plastic products valued at SR4.80 billion (33 percent), re-exports worth SR1.44 billion (10 percent), food products SR960 million (7 percent), ordinary minerals SR697 million (5 percent), and other products valued at SR1.57 billion (11 percent).
According to the report, China topped the list of countries mostly importing from the Kingdom where it imported goods worth SR1.93 billion (13 percent of total exports), followed by the UAE SR1.84 billion (10 percent), Singapore SR928 million (7 percent), India SR 589 million (4 percent), Jordan SR583 million (4 percent), and other countries at SR8.87 billion (62 percent).
Non-Arab and non-Islamic Asian countries received 33 percent of Saudi exported items valued at SR4.75 billion, followed by the GCC states at SR3.09 billion (21 percent), Arab countries SR2.37 billion (17 percent), European Union states SR1.70 billion (12 percent), non-Arab Islamic countries SR1.33 billion (9 percent), and other countries SR1.13 billion (8 percent), the report said.
Saudi imports rose by 27 percent in January 2012 to SR42.37 billion compared to SR33.41 billion in January 2011, according to the report.
Equipment, machinery and electric utensils valued at SR11.42 billion topped the list of Saudi imports, or 27 percent of total imports, followed by transport equipment SR7.17 billion (17 percent), ordinary minerals SR 6.68 billion (16 percent), foodstuffs SR4.78 billion (11 percent), petrochemicals and plastics SR3.69 billion (9 percent), textiles and clothes SR1.40 billion (3 percent), and other items at SR7.20 billion (17 percent), the report said.
The United States topped the list of countries from which the Kingdom mostly imported SR6.19 billion during last January, or 15 percent of total imports, followed by China SR5.76 billion (13 percent), Germany SR3.33 billion (8 percent), South Korea SR2.59 billion (6 percent), Japan SR2.52 billion (6 percent) and other countries SR2.19 billion (52 percent), according to the report.
© Arab News 2012
