Nirmal Narayanan

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports surged by 31 percent in the second quarter to SR86.2 billion ($22.9 billion) from SR65.8 billion in the same period last year, the General Authority for Statistics, also known as GASTAT, said in a report.

This is an increase of SR7.6 billion or 9.7 percent from the first quarter of this year. 

In the second quarter, the Kingdom’s merchandise imports grew to SR171 billion, registering a year-on-year increase of 21.7 percent. This is an increase of 8.5 percent when compared with the previous quarter. 

Overall merchandise exports in the second quarter increased by 85.1 percent to SR429.8 billion, up from SR232.2 billion in the second quarter of 2021. 

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports were driven by chemical and allied industries which accounted for 35.3 percent of non-oil merchandise exports in the second quarter, GASTAT report stated. 

The report further added that the most imported merchandises were machinery and mechanical appliances, along with electrical equipment parts which accounted for 18.9 percent of total merchandise imports.