The value of Saudi Arabia exports of nonoil commodities for the first quarter (Q1) of the current year 2013, reached SR 46.84 billion, compared to SR 47.84 billion, or a decrease of 2.1 percent, according to the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI).
The CDSI report stated that petrochemicals topped the list of Saudi exports as it valued SR 16.88 billion, or 36.05 percent of the total nonoil exports, plastic products came second at SR 14.31 billion or 30.55 percent, followed by ordinary metals and their products at 7.11 percent of the total exports.
According to the report, China topped the list of importers from Saudi Arabia during Q1 with 12.98 percent of the total exports, followed by the UAE at 11.31 percent and India at 5.79 percent.
The value of Saudi imports during the Q1 increased by 13.5 percent to reach SR 154.92 billion compared to the figures of same period of the previous year, the report said.
Equipment, machinery and electrical utensils topped the list of Saudi imports during Q1 as they valued SR 42.84 billion, or 27.65 percent of total imports, followed by transport materials worth SR 27.79 billion or 17.93 percent and metal products at SR 19.55 billion or 12.62 percent.
The largest exporter to the Kingdom in Q1 was the United States sending goods worth 13.32 percent of the total Saudi imports, followed by China at 12.5 percent, then South Korea at 6.62 percent, the report pointed out.
