According to the Ministry of Industry, the total value of industrial exports increased by 5.4% by March 2018 (during Q1 of 2018) compared to the same period of the year 2017. The total value of industrial exports rose from 596.6 million USD in the months of January to March 2017 to 633.9 million USD by March 2018. In terms of imports, the total import value of “industrial machinery and equipment” increased by 36.9% by March 2018 to 71 million USD compared to 51.8 million USD during the same period in 2017.
In March 2018, total industrial exports stood at 238.4 million USD, a 6.5% yearly rise. The main exported products were “Prepared foodstuffs and tobacco” with a total of 45.6 million USD up from 42.53 million USD in March 2017. Saudi Arabia was on top of the importers’ list of this product with an import value of 5.2 million USD.
The exports of “Base metals and articles of base metal” increased from 30.45 million USD in March 2017 to 43.12 million USD in March 2018, scoring a significant 41.6% increase. Exports of this category are mainly towards Turkey (29.82%) and Spain (13.46%).
Meanwhile, the exports of “machinery and electrical equipment” decreased from 43.20 million USD in March 2017 to 40.55 million USD during the same month of 2018. Exports of this category are mainly towards Iraq (18.73%) and the United Arab Emirates (8.94%).
The total import value of “industrial machinery and equipment” in March 2018 reached about 28.2 million USD compared to 20.2 million USD in March 2017, a 39.5% yearly increase. In details, the Ministry of Industry’s statement depicts that, in March 2018, imports of “machines for food industry”, ranked first in this division, with a total value of 3.4 million USD and Italy topped the list of countries exporting this product to Lebanon with exports’ value at 1.3 million USD.
Moreover, the imports of “machines for rubber and plastics” industry followed with a total value of 2.8 million USD. Germany was the leading exporter of this product with an export value of 1.3 million USD.
Yearly Comparison of Industrial Exports, In Millions of Dollars
| Goods | March 2017 | March 2018 | Variation 2017/2018 | Variation in % 2017/2018 |
| Animal products | 0.43 | 0.59 | 0.16 | 38.6% |
| Vegetable products | 4.53 | 5.80 | 1.27 | 28.1% |
| Fats and edible fats and oils | 4.03 | 4.19 | 0.16 | 3.9% |
| Prepared foodstuffs and tobacco | 42.53 | 45.60 | 3.07 | 7.2% |
| Mineral products | 0.57 | 0.88 | 0.32 | 55.4% |
| Products of the chemical industries | 27.40 | 32.38 | 4.98 | 18.2% |
| Plastics and rubber and articles thereof | 13.87 | 15.74 | 1.86 | 13.4% |
| Raw hides and skins, leather, furskins and articles thereof | 1.47 | 0.74 | -0.73 | -49.9% |
| Wood and articles of wood | 0.83 | 1.18 | 0.35 | 42.6% |
| Paper and paperboard and articles thereof | 12.19 | 12.64 | 0.45 | 3.7% |
| Textiles and textile articles | 6.52 | 6.19 | -0.33 | -5.1% |
| Footwear, headgear, prepared feather | 1.83 | 1.39 | -0.44 | -24.2% |
| Articles of stone, plaster, cement; glass and glassware | 2.06 | 2.60 | 0.54 | 26.1% |
| Pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals and articles thereof (Excluding unworked diamonds, silver and gold Ingots)[1] | 21.28 | 12.26 | -9.02 | -42.4% |
| Base metals and articles of base metal | 30.45 | 43.12 | 12.67 | 41.6% |
| Machinery and electrical equipment | 43.20 | 40.55 | -2.65 | -6.1% |
| Transport equipment | 2.20 | 1.69 | -0.50 | -22.9% |
| Optical, measuring, medical, and musical instruments; clocks and watches | 1.70 | 1.99 | 0.29 | 16.9% |
| Arms and ammunition | 0.04 | 0.00 | -0.04 | -100.0% |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 6.79 | 8.84 | 2.05 | 30.2% |