According to the Lebanese Customs, trade activity at Lebanon’s main customs offices improved in January 2017, when compared to January 2016. Total imports’ value rose by a yearly 7.36% to $1.60B by January 2017, and exports’ value marginally rose from $185,600 to $231,649.
The breakdown of transported goods by customs’ office revealed that Port of Beirut (PoB) ranked first with 64.58% of value of total goods traded, followed by Rafic Hariri Airport, with a share of 23.49%, and Port of Tripoli with 7.44%. These facts depict the traders’ preferences in favor of maritime and air transport, as the Syrian war prevails. In fact, by January 2017, customs’ offices, Masnaa, Abboudieh, and Arida, which are located close to Syrian borders, witnessed almost no improvement in trade.
Shares of Total Trade Value by Top Customs Offices
Source: Lebanese Customs