Doha: Qatar’s monthly foreign merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports, showed a surplus of QR14.3bn in December 2019, registering a double-digit increase of nearly QR1.8bn, or 14.4 percent, compared to November 2019.
When compared on yearly basis, the December trade surplus was down by QR1.6bn, or 10 percent compared to the corresponding month in the previous year (December 2018), preliminary figures released by the Planning and Statistics Authority show.
In December 2019, the total exports of goods (including exports of goods of domestic origin and re-exports) amounted to about QR23.6bn, showing a decrease of 7.2 percent compared to December 2018, an increase of 6.4 percent compared to November 2019.
On other hand, the imports of goods in December 2019 amounted to around QR9.3bn, showing a decrease of 2.7 percent over December 2018. However, on a month-on-month (M-o-M) basis the imports decreased by 4 percent.
The year-on-year (December 2019 to December 2018) decrease in total exports was mainly due to lower exports of Petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons (LNG, condensates, propane, butane, etc.) reaching QR15bn approximately in December 2019, i.e. a decrease of 10.1 percent , Petroleum oils & oils from bituminous minerals (crude) reaching QR4.1bn nearly, increased by 20.9 percent , and decrease in the Petroleum oils & oils from bituminous minerals (not crude) reaching QR1.4bn, decreased by 17.6 percent
In December 2019, Japan was at the top of the countries of destination of Qatar’s exports with close to QR5bn, a share of 21.1 percent of total exports, followed by China with almost QR3.5bn and a share of 14.7 percent , South Korea with about QR3.4bn, a share of 14.2 percent.
During December 2019, the group of “Electrical apparatus for line telephony/telegraphy, telephone sets etc.; parts thereof “ was at the top of the imported group of commodities, with QR0.34bn, showing an increase of 56.2 percent compared to December 2018. In second place was “Motor Cars & Other Motor Vehicles For The Transport of Persons” with QR0.32bn, showing a decrease of 13.5 percent and in third place was “Parts of Balloons Etc.; Parts of Aircraft, Spacecraft Etc” with QR0.31bn, decrease of 10.5 percent.
In December 2019, the US was the leading country of origin of Qatar’s imports with about QR2bn, a share of 22 percent of the imports, followed by China with QR1.2bn almost, a share of 12.5 percent , and Germany with QR0.5bn, a share of 5.6 percent, reports QNA.
