Trade surplus of Oman surges to OMR942m

Muscat: Oman's trade surplus stood at OMR942.2 million for the first nine months of 2016, according to the data of the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
The total value of the Sultanate's commodity exports stood at OMR7.5 billion till the end of September 2016, a decline of 28.2 per cent compared to OMR10.4 billion for the same period in 2015.
The Sultanate's commodity imports stood at OMR6.5 billion till the end of September 2016, a fall of 21.4 per cent compared to the same period in 2015, when it was OMR8.3 billion.
The total value of oil and gas exports had declined by 32.9 per cent to OMR4.1 billion till the end of September 2016.
The value of crude oil exports during the same period also stood at OMR3.5 billion. The value of refined oil exports stood at OMR117.5 million and the value of LNG exports stood at OMR521.3 million.
The value of non-oil exports till the end of September 2016 was OMR1.8 billion, reflecting a decline of 24.1 per cent compared to the same period in 2015, when it was OMR2.3 billion.
The chemical industries segment at OMR430.1 million till the end of September 2016, registered the highest value from non-oil exports, despite a 24 per cent decline. The segment had registered OMR565.7 million worth of exports during the same period in 2015. The value of plastic and rubber exports stood at OMR104 million, a decline of 49.7 per cent compared to same period in 2015 when exports amounted to OMR206.8 million.
The value of mineral products exports fell by 13.9 per cent, registering OMR422.5 million.Also, the value of export of equipment, machinery and electrical equipment and their parts declined by 23.8 per cent to OMR83.4 million. Export of live animals and their products declined by 21.7 per cent to OMR126.3 million.
The re-export activity declined by 18.2 per cent to OMR1.5 billion, compared to OMR2.8 billion during the same period in 2015.
The re-export activity of transport equipment declined by 37.3 per cent to stand at OMR767.2 million, compared with OMR1.2 billion during the same period in 2015.
Other minerals’ re-export increased by 30.6 per cent to hit OMR493.3 million, compared with OMR377.8 million reached during the same period in 2015.
The value of the other re-export products stood at OMR281.9 million, a decline of 0.2 per cent compared to OMR282.6 million in 2015.