According to the Lebanese Ministry of Industry, the value of total industrial exports fell from $2,956M by December 2015 to $2,527M by end 2016.
On a monthly basis, the main exported products in Dec.2016 were Machinery and Mechanical Appliances (20.9% of total exports), followed by Prepared Foodstuffs (19.23% of total) and Products of the Chemical Industries (15.58% of total) with the respective values of $45.2M, $41.6M, and $33.7M.
The decrease in the value of industrial exports was driven by notable declines of exported Products of the Chemical Industries, as well as Machinery & Mechanical Appliances (20.89% of total exports), which fell respectively from $45.3M in December 2015 to $33.7M in Dec.2016, and from $53.6M in December to $45.2M over the same period.
On the counterpart, the value of exported Base metals and articles of base metal (13.36% of total exports) and Prepared foodstuffs (19.23% of total exports) rose from $22.2M to $28.9M and $39M to 41.6M, respectively.
Primary export markets for the Lebanese industrial products were Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates, with respective shares of 11.4%, 11.2% and 9.3% of total exports.
As for imports of Machinery and Industrial Equipment, they fell from $18.7M in December 2015 to $17.9M in December 2016. The imports of Machinery for food industries grasped the largest share of total imports with a value of $2.3M, of which $0.6M were imported from Italy. Machines used for wrapping purposes accounted for $1.2M of which $0.9M were imported from Italy too.
Main Industrial Exports in December 2015 and 2016 (in $M)
Source: Ministry of Industry