28-02-2021
The Planning and Statistics Authority issued its preliminary report on foreign trade statistics for the month of January 2021, as the report includes data on exports (of local origin and re-exports) and imports. The following is a brief presentation of the data:
During January 2021, the total value of Qatari exports (which includes exports of local origin and re-exports) amounted to approximately 21.3 billion Qatari riyals, a decrease of 4.7% compared to January 2020, and an increase of 24.3% compared to December 2020.
On the other hand, the value of merchandise imports decreased during January 2021, to reach about 7.8 billion Qatari riyals, a decrease of 21.5% compared to January 2020, and a decrease of 9.2% compared to December 2020.
In light of this, the merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports during January 2021, achieved a surplus of 13.5 billion Qatari riyals, registering an increase of 1.1 billion Qatari riyals, or 8.7% compared to the same month of the previous year 2020, and an increase of 4.9% almost one billion Qatari riyals, or 57.6%, compared to December 2020.
In comparison between January 2021 and January 2020, the value of exports of “oil gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons”, which represent (liquefied natural gas, condensate, propane, butane, etc.) decreased to about 13.1 billion Qatari riyals, by 13.3%, and the value of “petroleum oils and mineral raw material oils " decreased to reach approximately 3.1 billion Qatari riyals, or 3.0%. The value of exports of" petroleum oils and oils obtained from continental non-crude mineral materials "increased to about 1.7 billion Qatari riyals, by 45.5%.
On the level of exports according to the main destination countries, China ranked first in the destination countries in terms of exports of the State of Qatar during the month of January 2021 with a value of approximately 4.6 billion Qatari riyals, or 21.5% of the total value of Qatari exports, followed by Japan with a value of approximately 3.6 billion Qatari riyals, i.e. a percentage of 16.9% of the total value of exports, then South Korea with a value of approximately 3.2 billion Qatari riyals, or 14.9%,
In comparison between January 2021 and January 2020, a group of "jet turbines and propellers, other gas turbines and parts thereof" came to the top of the list of merchandise imports, with a value of 0.5 billion Qatari riyals, a decrease of 27.5%, followed by a group of "cars and other vehicles designed mainly for transporting people" by about 0.4 billion Qatari riyals, a decrease of 7.2%, and a group of "electrical devices for the (telephone) or telegraph (telegraph), including the network transmitters and parts thereof" with a value of approximately 0.3 billion Qatari riyals, with an increase of 33.5%.
In terms of imports according to the main countries of origin, China ranked first in the countries of origin in terms of imports to the State of Qatar during the month of January 2021, with a value of approximately 1.1 billion Qatari riyals, or 14.3% of the total value of merchandise imports, then the United States of America with a value of 1.0 billion Qatari riyals, or 13.0 %, followed by the United Kingdom with a value of 0.6 billion Qatari riyals, or 8.0%.