Algeria’s exports reach $39.5 billion during first eleven months of 2009 : Customs

Algeria’s exports reached $39.53 billion during the eleven months of  2009, compared to $72.41 billion during the same period of 2008, a decline  of 45.40%, said the Algerian customs on Sunday.

The National Center for Information and Statistics, belonging to the Algerian Customs explains that the imports reached a total volume of $35.27 billion, compared to $36.05 billion during the same period of 2008, a decline of 2.17%.

The center noted that this « significant » decline on exports has an impact on the surplus of the trade balance, which moved from $36.35 billion during the first eleven months of 2008 to $4.2 billion during the same period of 2009.

Hydrocarbons are the most important Algerian exports by $97.45% of the total volume, I.e $38.52 billion, a drop of 45.40% compared with the same period of 2008.

As for the exports outside hydrocarbons, they remain « weak », estimated to one billion dollars, about 2.5% of the total exports.

All the groups which structured the exports, mostly  the group of « Half manufactured materials » notice a decline by 50.2%, becasue its value has moved from $1.3 billion to $651 million.

The group of the «raw products » is second with $169 million during the eleven first months of 2009, compared to $323 million during the same period of 2008, a drop of 47.80%, followed by the industrial meterials with $41 billion (-42%) and finally food group by $104 million (-9%).

There are only two groups in imports, which noticed an increase in the « materials of industrial processing », ranked first with 38.68% of the total volume ($ 13.64 billion, a rise at 17.6%), and the « agricultural equipment by $208 million (+62%).

Algerian customs pointed out that the other groups of imports noticed a decrease, particularly the group of food (26%), which drop from $7.24 billion during the first eleven months of 2008 to $5.35 billion during the same period of 2009.

The other groups also noticed a significant decline, including the group of fuels and energy (21.26%),  from $555 million to $437 million, followed by the range of raw materials (-16.67%), then the range of semi-manufactured materials (-0.48%) the amount of $9.09 billion, according to the same source.

The customs srvices have recorded on November, a surplus in trade balance with $1.08 billion, a rise of 29%, compared to the same month of 2008.

This situation explains the large retreat of imports by over 30%, said the Algerian customs.

Fuels, which formed 97.36% of Algeria’s exports, recorded a retreat on November 2009 with 18.86%, reaching $3.46 billion.