Saudi Arabia's non-oil exports in February 2012 amounted to SR14314 million, an increase of SR2976 representing 26%, figures released by the Saudi exports bulletin, an affiliate of the General Statistics and Information Department said today. The statement, copy of which was obtained by the Saudi Press Agency, said the exported weight reached 3878, 000 tons compared to 3408,000 tons in the same period last year, an increase of 470,000 tons representing 14%. The report added that petrochemicals were the most goods exported in February 2012 amounting to SR5275 million, a rate of 37%, followed by plastic products in the amount of SR4474 million (31%), re-exported goods amounting to SR1683 (12%), foodstuffs valued SR 886 million (6%), ordinary minerals and their products fetching SR 627 million (4%), and other goods totaling SR1369 million (10%). China ranked first as Saudi Arabia's importer of its non-oil exports worth SR2077 million (14%), followed by the United Arab Emirates in the amount of SR1525 million (11%), Singapore with Saudi imports totaling SR836 million (6%), India amounting to SR800 million (6%), and Turkey in the amount of SR714 million (5%) and other countries with imports from Saudi Arabia amounting to SR8362 (58%). Asian non-Arab and Islamic countries topped the list of Saudi Arabia's purchasing economic blocs of its non-oil in products in the amount of SR4807 million (34%), followed by the GCC bloc amounting to SR3036 million (21%), Arab League member states in the amount of SR2307 million (16%), European Union countries amounting to SR1669 million (12%), non-Arab Islamic countries amounting to SR1417 (10%) and other blocs in the amount of SR1078 million (7%). In its report, the General Statistics and Information Department disclosed that the value of the Kingdom's exports in February 2012 surged by 32 percent to reach SR38613 million compared to SR29297 million in the same period last year while the weight of the imports of Saudi Arabia amounted to 4507,000 tons against 3135,000 tons in the same period of last year, an increase of 44%. The machines, devices and electric equipment topped the list of imports amounting to 10345 million representing 27%, followed by transport equipment amounting to SR7049 million, representing 18%, ordinary minerals in the amount of SR5657 representing 15%, foodstuffs in the amount of SR4292 million representing 11%, petrochemicals and plastic amounting to SR3431 million representing 9%, clothes and textile amounting to SR1339 million representing 3%, and other goods amounting to SR6500 million representing 17 percent. China ranked first of countries exporting goods to Saudi Arabia, followed by the United States, Germany, Japan and South Korea. The non-Arab Asian and Islamic countries topped the list of the most important economic blocs that export goods to Saudi Arabia, followed by EU and North America, GCC countries, Islamic countries minus the Arab countries. Saudi Arabia exported Saudi-origin non-oil goods to the GCC countries in the amount of SR2323 million compared to SR2050 million in the same period last year, an increase of 13% while the national origin imported goods from GCC member states amounted to SR2757 million against SR1950 million, an increase of 41%. The UAE topped the list of exporters to and importers from Saudi Arabia among GCC countries with exports to UAE amounting to SR391 million and imports from it amounting to SR111 million, followed by Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
