Egypt imported $2.8 billion worth of goods in the first quarter of 2002, an 11.4 percent increase compared to figures from last year. The Republic exported $5.2 billion worth of merchandise during the same period, reported Xinhua. Commodity exports, excluding oil increased by $129 million to reach $681 million and the trade deficit rose by $36.8 million to reach $1.6 billion compared with the first three months of 2001.
The Egyptian government approved a plan last month to increase public sector exports by 10 percent until the year’s end, focusing on goods that are made up completely of primary components, reported Al-Akhbar. The new plan seeks to increase foreign exchanges by more than $1.1 billion by enhancing business conducted with state owned enterprises over the course of 2002. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
