MUSCAT: Non-oil exports from the Sultanate experienced a 31.4 per cent year-on-year increase in the month of January 2018, according to provisional figures released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
The figures show a substantial surge in non-oil foreign trade with a number of countries, with non-oil exports standing at over OMR2 billion at the end of January, 2018.
According to the data, non-oil exports grew the most with Qatar that saw a rise of 144 per cent, followed by Saudi Arabia (88.6 per cent) and China (25.1 per cent). Exports to India grew by 23.6 per cent, followed by the U.A.E. at 17.3 per cent, while exports to other countries collectively grew by 20.1 per cent. The figures mark the huge effect of the Sultanate’s diversification strategy, which are currently being driven by the National Programme For Enhancing Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh) and the Ninth Five Year Plan (2016-2020).
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