Egypt's trade balance deficit reached $3.4bn during March 2018, versus $3.19bn in the same month of the previous year, a decrease of 6.2%, according to the monthly bulletin on foreign trade issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). According to the CAPMAS, the value of exports increased by 3.2% as it reached to $2.47bn in March 2018, versus $2.4bn in the same month of the previous year, due to the increased value of some commodities such as fresh oranges (11.4%), garments (2.3%), plastics in primary forms (33%), and petroleum products (18.5%). Meanwhile, the value of exports of some commodities decreased in March 2018 versus the same month of the previous year, including crude oil by 28%, potatoes by 3.7%, miscellaneous edible preparations by 1.2%, and fertilisers by 48.1%. The CAPMAS noted that the value of imports increased by 4.9%, recording $5.87bn in March 2018, versus $5.59bn in the same month of the previous year, due to the increased value of some commodities such as: primary forms of iron or steel by 22%, crude oil by 182.1%, and wheat by 1.8%.
