CAIRO, July 9, 2018 (MENA) - Egypt's exports witnessed a 78.5% increase in 2017 amounting to LE 740.4 billion in total compared to LE 263.5 billion in 2016, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAMPAS) said on Monday. This came in CAPMAS annual bulletin for inter-trade with international blocs of which Egypt is a member, namely, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESKWA), the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Group of 15, Arab Free Trade Area and the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation. The largest share of exports went to the Arab Free Trade Area amounting to LE 172.2 billion in 2017 at an increase of 70.5% compared to 101.0 in 2016, the bulletin added. ESKWA received the second largest volume of exports that amounted at LE 143.2 billion at an increase of 73.7% compared to LE 82.5 billion during 2016. Least among the other trade blocs, the total value of exports to COMESA stood at LE 28.1 billion compared to LE 18.1 billion in 2016 at increase of 55.1%. Total value of imports from these blocs also increased by 75.5% amounting to LE 544.9 billion compared to LE 310.5 billion, the agency noted. As for other trade blocs of which Egypt is not a member state, such as the European Union, the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the ASEAN and MERCOSUR, total value of exports jumped 120.2% standing at LE 177.0 billion compared to LE 80.4 billion in 2016. Similarly, total value of imports from these blocs also witnessed an increase of 64.9% amounting to LE 577.0 billion compared to LE 349.9 billion in 2016.
