The Qatari trade balance recorded a surplus of 7.6 billion riyals ($2.08 billion) during the month of March, declining by 42.4 percent year on year, while it decreased by 43.7 percent compared to February.
According to the Qatar Planning and Statistics Authority, the value of Qatari exports amounted to 15.9 billion riyals ($4.3 billion) during the past month, down by 30.1 percent year-on-year, and recorded a monthly decrease of about 25 percent compared to February.
The value of merchandise imports amounted to about 8.3 billion riyals, a decrease of 13.2 percent on an annual basis, and a monthly increase of 7.7 percent.
The data showed that the value of exports (oil gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons) recorded an annual decrease of 22.3 percent, to reach about 10.5 billion riyals ($2.8 billion).
Japan took the top spot in destination countries for Qatar's exports, at a value of 2.5 billion riyals, or 15.5 percent of the total Qatari exports, followed by South Korea with 2.4 billion riyals or 14.9 percent, then India with 2.2 billion riyals and 13.9 percent, of the total value of those exports.
Source (The New Arab Newspaper, Edited)
