Egypt’s trade deficit stood at $3.04bn in September 2017, compared to $3.1bn in September 2016, a decrease of 1.8%, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS).

The agency’s monthly bulletin of foreign trade statistics showed that the value of Egyptian exports increased by 17.1% during September 2017, reaching $1.83bn compared to $1.56bn in September 2016.

CAPMAS attributed this growth to the increase in the value of some exports, such as garments by 13.8%, plastic in primary forms by 77.2%, fertilisers by 59.3%, and pasta by 5.3%.

Meanwhile, the value of other exports decreased in September 2017, including crude oil by 20.5%, fresh fruit by 18.0%, dairy products by 5.2%, and plastic products by 7.9%.

On the other hand, the value of Egypt’s imports recorded a growth of 4.5% in September 2017, settling at $4.87bn, compared to $4.66bn in September 2016.

The increase included raw materials for iron and steel by 22.9%, meat by 10.4%, and plastics in primary forms by 17.9%.

The value of other imports witnessed a slight decline in September 2017, mainly petroleum products by 5.2%, vehicles by 12.6%, medicines and pharmaceutical preparations by 4.6%, and corn by 3.3%.