Jordan Times
Thursday, February 14, 2008
National exports rise by 8.5%
last year
AMMAN (JT) - National exports rose by 8.5 per cent and re-exports by 13.3 per
cent last year compared with 2006, the Department of Statistics (DoS) announced
Wednesday.
As imports increased by 17.2 per cent during the same period, the deficit in the
trade balance stood at 23.4 per cent and the imports’ coverage by exports was
42.1 per cent.
The main exported items were vegetables, pharmaceutical products, phosphates,
fertilisers and potash in addition to apparel and related accessories at a lower
level.
According to the DoS, there was a rise in imports of cereals, crude oil, iron,
machinery and electrical appliances while imports of vehicles and motorcycles
were lower.
National exports to Asian countries, especially India and the Greater Arab Trade
Zone, went up but lower sales to the United States brought down exports to
states of North America Free Trade Agreement.
There was a noticeable increase in imports from the European Union and Asian
countries while imports declined from the Greater Arab Trade Zone countries,
especially Saudi Arabia which is the main crude oil exporter to Jordan.