The country’s merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports during last September, achieved a surplus of 6.4 billion riyals, with an annual decrease of 49.7 percent compared to the same month of 2019, while it decreased by 7.0 percent compared to August 2020.
A statement by the Planning and Statistics Authority showed that the value of total Qatari exports (which includes exports of local origin and re-exports) amounted to 13.4 billion riyals, a decrease of 33.7 percent compared to September 2019, and a decrease of 4.4 percent compared to August 2020.
The value of merchandise imports amounted to about 7.0 billion riyals, a monthly decrease of 6.4 percent compared to September of last year, and an annual rate of 1.9 percent compared to August 2020.
The data indicate an annual decrease (between September 2019 and September 2020) in the value of exports of “oil gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons” by 33.5 percent, to reach about 8.2 billion riyals … and the value of “petroleum oils and oils of continental mineral raw materials” decreased by 42.0 Percent to reach nearly 1.9 billion riyals, while the decrease in the value of exports of “petroleum oils and oils obtained from continental non-raw mineral materials, by 54.7 percent to reach about 0.8 billion riyals.”
India was the first destination country for Qatar’s exports during last September, with a value of approximately 2.4 billion riyals, or 18.0 percent of the total value of Qatari exports, followed by China with a value of approximately 2.1 billion Qatari riyals, or 15.4 percent of the total value of exports, then Japan. With a value of approximately 1.7 billion riyals, or 12.9 percent of the total value.
The “parts of ordinary aircraft or helicopters” came on top of the list of commodity imports, with a value of 0.22 billion riyals, with an annual decrease of 26.3 percent, followed by a group of “jet turbines and propellers, other gas turbines and parts thereof” by about 0.21 billion riyals, down 62.3 percent, then The group of “cars and other vehicles designed mainly to transport people” amounted to approximately 0.20 billion riyals, a decrease of 29.1 percent.
China ranked first in the countries of origin in terms of imports to the State of Qatar during the month of September this year, with a value of approximately 1.6 billion riyals, or 22.3 percent of the total value of merchandise imports, then the United States of America with a value of 0.7 billion riyals, or 10.7 percent, followed by India with a value of 0.4 billion riyals, or 5.9 percent of the total value.
