RIYADH, 20 November — Non-oil exports from the Kingdom dropped 18.2 percent in September compared to the previous month, according to a report released yesterday.
Official statistics showed that the value of exports, including agricultural, animal, industrial and petrochemical products, dropped to $720 million in September from $880 million in August.
No reason was given for the decline, but it is believed that the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States has adversely affected Saudi exports, especially of petrochemical products. The value of oil exports, estimated at $50 billion for 2001, does not figure in the statistics.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil producer and exporter with a daily output of eight million barrels.
The statistics also showed that Saudi Arabia imported goods worth $1.2 billion in September, taking to $10.9 billion total imports for the first nine months of the year.
