According to the Lebanese Ministry of Industry, the value of industrial exports rose by 5.89% year-on-year (y-o-y) from $193.7 million in November 2016 to $205.1 million in November 2017.
In November 2017, the main exported products were “machinery and electrical equipment” with a total value of $42 million up from $35 million in November 2016. The main export market for “machinery and electrical equipment” was Iraq, which accounted for $6.4 million of the total exports.
Exports of “prepared foodstuffs and tobacco” came in second position with a total value of $38.5 million in November 2017, down from $39.81 million in November 2016. The largest export market for this category was Saudi Arabia with exports worth $5.9 million in November 2017.
Exports of “pearls or semi-precious stones, precious metals and articles thereof (excluding unworked diamonds, silver and gold ingots) were also responsible for November’s increase as they saw their value increase from $6.9 million in November 2016 to $16.3 million in November 2017. Exports of this category dropped towards the Saudi Arabian market but increased towards the UAE and Germany.
As for the exports of “base metals and articles of base metal”, they amounted to $29.2 million in November 2017, up from $27.1 million in November 2016. The biggest export market in this category was the Republic of Korea with an exports’ value of $5.1 million.
With regards to imports of industrial machinery and equipment, they reached $17.6 million in November 2017 down from $20 million during the same month in 2016.
The Ministry of Industry’s statement details that “In November 2017, imports of machines for food industry, ranked first, with a total value of $3 million, and Italy topped the list of countries exporting this product to Lebanon with exports’ value of $1.7 million, followed by machines used in packaging, with a total value of $2.4 million. Italy was the leading exporter of this product with an export value of $1 million.”
Yearly Comparison of Industrial Exports, In Millions of Dollars
| Goods | Nov-16 | Nov-17 | Variation 2016/2017 | Variation in % 2016/2017 |
| Animal products | 0.31 | 0.44 | 0.12 | 39.30% |
| Vegetable products | 4.19 | 3.65 | -0.54 | -13.00% |
| Fats and edible fats and oils | 3.59 | 3.42 | -0.18 | -4.90% |
| Prepared foodstuffs and tobacco | 39.81 | 38.53 | -1.29 | -3.20% |
| Mineral products | 0.62 | 0.78 | 0.16 | 26.60% |
| Products of the chemical industries | 28.99 | 26.04 | -2.95 | -10.20% |
| Plastics and rubber and articles thereof | 11.83 | 13.22 | 1.39 | 11.70% |
| Raw hides and skins, leather, furskins and articles thereof | 0.76 | 0.96 | 0.2 | 26.00% |
| Wood and articles of wood | 0.81 | 1.19 | 0.38 | 46.90% |
| Paper and paperboard and articles thereof | 11.96 | 9.95 | -2.02 | -16.90% |
| Textiles and textile articles | 7.21 | 5.16 | -2.05 | -28.40% |
| Footwear, headgear, prepared feather | 0.78 | 0.76 | -0.02 | -2.60% |
| Articles of stone, plaster, cement; glass and glassware | 1.79 | 2.17 | 0.39 | 21.60% |
| Pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals and articles thereof | 6.92 | 16.26 | 9.34 | 134.90% |
| Base metals and articles of base metal | 27.1 | 29.16 | 2.06 | 7.60% |
| Machinery and electrical equipment | 35.02 | 42.03 | 7.01 | 20.00% |
| Transport equipment | 3.2 | 3.83 | 0.62 | 19.40% |
| Optical, measuring, medical, and musical instruments; clocks and watches | 1.95 | 1.37 | -0.59 | -30.00% |
| Arms and ammunition | 0.03 | 0 | -0.03 | -100.00% |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 6.78 | 6.16 | -0.62 | -9.20% |
| Total | 193.7 | 205.1 | 11.38 | 5.89% |
Source: Ministry of Industry