Qatar’s trade surplus reached QR13.1bn in April 2019, a decrease of 11.3 per cent compared to April 2018, and a decrease of 0.4 per cent compared to March 2019, according to data released by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA).
In April 2019, the total exports of goods (including exports of goods of domestic origin and re-exports) amounted to QR22.1bn, showing a decrease of 7.8 per cent compared to April 2018 and decreased by 2.8 per cent compared to March 2019.
Imports of goods in April 2019 amounted to QR9bn, a decrease of 2.3 per cent over April 2018 and a decrease of 6.1 per cent compared to March 2019 (month-on-month).
PSA said the year-on-year decrease in total exports was mainly due to lower exports of petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons (LNG, condensates, propane, butane, etc), which reached QR13.9bn, a decrease of 2.1 per cent.
During April 2019, the group “parts of balloons etc; parts of aircraft, spacecraft etc” was at the top of the imported group of commodities, reaching QR0.4bn, an increase of 78.2 per cent compared to April 2018. In second place was “motor cars & other passenger vehicles” at QR0.36bn, a decrease by 40.2 per cent, and in third place was “turbojets, turbo propellers and other gas turbines; parts thereof” at QR0.35bn, an increase of 96.6 per cent.
In April 2019, South Korea was at the top of the countries of destination of Qatar’s exports at QR4bn, a share of 18.1 per cent of total exports, followed by Japan at QR3.4bn (15.6 per cent) and India at QR 2.7bn, a share of 12.1 per cent. The US was the leading country of origin of Qatari imports at QR1.9bn, or 20.9 per cent of the total imports, followed by China at QR1bn (10.8 per cent), and India at QR 0.7bn, a share of 7.7 per cent.