Qatar non-oil exports fell 13% in December

Qatar’s non-oil exports declined 13 per cent in December compared to the same period of 2016, a report by the Qatar Chamber revealed yesterday.

According to the report, non-oil exports reached 1.3 billion Qatari riyals ($357 million) in December 2017 compared with 1.5 billion riyals ($412 million) in December 2016.

On a monthly basis, Qatari exports fell 27.6 per cent from 1.8 billion royals ($494 million) in November.

According to the report, the country’s total exports reached about QR18.1 billion ($4.97 billion) in 2017.

Read: Qatar orders aid to private sector as sanctions hurt economy

Qatari products reached 66 countries. The Sultanate of Oman received a majority of Qatar’s non-oil exports or 35 per cent, accounting for 454.8 million riyals ($125 million) in December.

Qatar’s non-oil exports include aluminium, chemical fertilisers, polyethylene, plastic bags, detergents and industrial gases.

The gulf region was hit with tension when on 5 June Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on the grounds of “its support for terrorism”, an accusation that Doha vehemently denies.

Timeline: Arab rift with Qatar