Non-oil foreign trade performance indicators for Egypt during January-September this year have increased significantly, a government report announced on Saturday.
The General Organization for Import and Export Control (GOEIC) reported that the rates of trade increased by 13 percent compared to the same period of 2017, reaching $67.63 billion compared to $59.82 billion during the same period last year, with an increase of $7.88 billion.
The report pointed out that Egyptian exports during the first nine months of this year increased by 11 percent, reaching $18.51 billion compared with $16.6 billion during the same period last year.
Imports increased 14 percent to $49.1 billion from $43.2 billion in the same period in 2017.
On the geographical concentration of non-oil foreign trade, the report pointed out that the rate of trade exchange between Egypt and the US achieved during the first nine months of this year was an increase of 33.2 percent, and the rates of trade with African countries without Arab countries during the first nine months of this year increased by 21 percent.
The commodity exchange rates between Egypt and the Arab countries increased by 10.5 percent, reaching $10.6 billion compared to $9.1 billion during the same period of 2017.
The foreign trade movement between Egypt and the EU during the reporting period increased by 5% to reach $20.37 billion.
Chairman of the GOEIC Ismail Gaber said that the following export sectors achieved significant growth during the first nine months of 2018; exports of books and literature sector, exports chemicals and fertilizers sector, exports from the medical industries, textile exports, exports of handicrafts and exports of ready-made garments.
The largest markets for Egyptian exports during the first nine months of this year were in the UAE, Turkey, the US, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Spain, Algeria and France.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
