Damascus-SANA
The total Syrian exports since the beginning of this year until the end of July reached 1,201 million tons, with a value of nearly 400 million euros.
A report issued by the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade, of which SANA obtained a copy, indicated that the total number of countries to which Syrian goods are exported reached 110 countries during the first seven months of this year.
The report pointed out that the value of exports for the first seven months of this year constituted 64 percent of the total exports of last year, as the monthly average of exports during the same period amounted to 57 million euros, an increase of five million euros over the previous year.
Among the countries of destination, Iraq ranked first, as the value of Syrian exports to it during the same period exceeded 79 million euros, followed by Saudi Arabia with a value of more than 68 million euros, Lebanon 59 million euros, the United Arab Emirates more than 14 million euros, Jordan 13 million euros, and Egypt 10 million euros.
The report indicated that the total Syrian exports to the countries of destination amounted to about 287 million euros, which constitutes 72 percent of the total exports during the first seven months of this year.
According to the report, the most important items exported to importing countries are clothing and related accessories, fruits, vegetables, food products, shoes, detergents, glass bottles, olive oil, rubber products, soft drinks, dairy flowers, cheese and their derivatives, building stones, pistachios, medicines, spices and soil.
Regarding the facilities provided by the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade, the report stated that they are represented in industrial and agricultural production support programs through subsidizing freight charges, facilitating access to foreign markets, holding internal exhibitions for products intended for export, and supporting exporters participating in foreign exhibitions.
According to the report, the ministry is preparing studies on foreign markets with the aim of discovering new markets for Syrian goods and knowing the possibility of exporting other types of goods to the current markets to which they are exported. New ways are also being studied to support and encourage exports, indicating that the export sector faces difficulties resulting from the imposed unilateral coercive measures. From the European Union and the United States, which damaged a lot of industrial facilities and agricultural lands and thus led to a dwindling of the export capacity.
Manar Dib
