DOHA: Qatar’s non-oil exports have reached QR18.032bn in the first nine months of 2018, a 36.5 percent year-on-year growth over QR3.02bn recorded in the same period of 2017.
Non-oil exports in September 2018 reached QR1.642bn, a 4.6 percent increase compared to the QR1.570bn reported in September 2017, said the report, which was based on 3015 certificates of origin issued in September this year by Qatar Chamber’s Research & Studies Department and Member Affairs Department.
The report said that the 3015 certificates of origin issued during last September included 2718 general model certificates, 130 unified certificates for the GCC countries (industrial), 148 unified Arab certificates of origin, 18 certificates of origin for preferences and one unified certificate to Singapore.
Saleh bin Hamad Al Sharqi (pictured), Director General of Qatar Chamber, attributed the growth of exports in September to the Chambers’ growing supports to the locally-manufactured products subsequently finding new export outlets worldwide.
He pointed to the facilities and incentives offered by the country to boost investments at all productive sectors with the aim to achieving the anticipated self-sufficiency and increasing Qatar’s exports abroad.
These facilities contributed to increasing the non-oil exports which witnessed rapid surge, he added.
The report pointed to the trend of non-oil exports to 60 countries during September 2018 compared to 59 countries during August, with 13 Arab countries, including the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and 15 European countries including Turkey and 16 Asian countries except for the Arab countries and 14 African countries except for the Arab countries and two North American countries.
According to the report, Oman topped the list of non-oil exporting countries in September 2018 with a total exports of QR689m, representing 42.1 percent of the total value of non-oil exports during the month, followed by the Hong Kong with total exports of QR235m (14.4 percent). In third place was Singapore with QR151m (9.2 percent) and India QR90m (5.5 percent).
Lebanon ranked fifth with exports amounting to QR67m (4.1 percent) of the total value of non-oil exports in September 2018. China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey and Germany came in different values and percentages respectively, where the first ten countries accounted for 87.8 percent of total non-oil exports in the said month.
On the other hand, the GCC countries Oman and Kuwait topped the blocs and the economic groups receiving the Qatari non-oil exports during September 2018 with total exports amounting to about QR700.458m, then the group of Asian countries excluding Arab countries with exports worth about QR666.5.5m.
The Group of Arab countries, excluding the GCC countries, came in the third place with total exports amounting to QR147.335m, followed by the group of European countries, including Turkey with total value of exports amounting to about QR90.246m, followed by the African countries except the Arab countries and the South American countries with varying values.
