Saudi nonoil exports hit SR19bn in March

Saudi nonoil exports rose by 12.5 percent in March to reach SR19.24 billion compared to the figures of the same period last year, according to a report released by the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI).
It said Saudi imports dropped by 9.1 percent to SR51.19 billion compared to the figures of the same period last year.
Petrochemical products topped the Kingdom’s list of exports in March and registered 32.61 percent of non-oil exports valued at SR6.20 billion, the report said.
The report said that plastic products came in the second rank of nonoil exports and valued SR5.89 billion, or 30.6 percent, followed by transport equipment and their parts by 10.9 percent, or SR 2.00 billion, of the total value of exports.
Equipment, machinery and electrical utensils captured the highest value of Saudi imports in March (2014) at SR12.34 billion, or 24.11 percent of the total value of imports, followed by transport materials at the value of SR9.79 billion, or 19.14 percent, and ordinary metals and their products at SR6.33 billion, or 12.37 percent, the report added.
The UAE topped the list of major importers from Saudi Arabia by 13.80 percent of the total value of exports in March, followed by China at 11.42 percent and Singapore at 7.68 percent, the report said.
In the same month, the US remained the biggest exporter to the Kingdom which recorded 13.17 percent of the total Saudi imports, followed by China at 12.08 percent and Germany at 7.1 percent, the report said.