AMMAN: The deficit in Jordan’s balance of trade grew by 27 percent in the first 10 months of the year, to 5.675 billion dinars ($8.02 billion) from 4.467 billion dinars in the same period of 2007, according to official statistics released yesterday.
Economists attributed the expanding trade gap mainly to a 32.2-percent increase in imports, which stood at 10.303 billion dinars compared with 7.794 billion dinars in the first 10 months of last year.
Saudi Arabia, Jordan’s main supplier of energy, topped the list of exporters to Jordan, followed by China and Germany.
However, Jordan’s imports from Germany grew by 2.7 percent in the first 10 months of the year, to 610 million dinars from 594 million dinars in the same period of last year, the state-run Department of Statistics said.
The European Union’s exports to Jordan grew by 9.8 percent, to 1.933 billion dinars.
The Department of Statistics also reported a 39-per-cent expansion in Jordan’s exports and re-exports, to 4.628 billion dinars.
India topped the list of importers from Jordan, followed by the United States and Iraq.