Riyadh: Gulf News reported that Saudi non-oil exports amounted to 8.6 billion riyals in October 2007 compared to 6.7 billion riyals in the same month of the previous year. This was an increase of 1.8 billion riyals, or 27 percent, said a report by the central department of statistics of the Ministry of Planning and Economy. The report said that at 1.35 billion riyals, the UAE topped the list of countries importing Saudi non-oil products in October. Bahrain and China followed with 576 and 494 million riyals respectively, the report added. According to the report, Saudi imports from Gulf states in October amounted to 1.04 billion riyals compared to 1.07 billion riyals in the same period the previous year - a decrease of 3 percent. Saudi non-oil exports to the Gulf states in October reached 1.89 billion riyals compared to 1.51 billion riyals in October 2006, an increase of 25 percent. Petrochemical products topped the list of Saudi non-oil exports (2.56 billion riyals) followed by plastic products (1.95 billion). During the same period, the value of Saudi imports reached 25.4 billion riyals compared to 21.9 billion riyals in October 2006, with a rise of 5.3 billion riyals or 161 percent, the official report said. Saudi exports to the GCC reached 2.86 billion riyals, and exports for-Asian non-Arab non-Muslim countries valued 4.86 billion riyals.
