Algeria records $3.3bn trade surplus

Algeria recorded a trade surplus of about USD 3.31 billion during the first four months of 2013 against USD 3.14 billion during the same period in 2013, a 5.41% increase, the Algerian Customs said Wednesday. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Data Processing (CNIS), Algeria’s exports reached USD 22.03 billion during the first four months of 2014, against USD 22.69 billion during the same period in 2013, a 2.91% decline due to essentially a 3.8% exports drop in hydrocarbons. Algerian imports also dropped by 4.21% totalling USD 18.72 billion against USD 19.55 billion during the same period the previous year, added the CNIS. The rate of imports coverage by exports reached 118% against 116% during the same reference period, the source said. The hydrocarbon exports, which continue to represent the majority of Algerian sales abroad, with 95.58% of the global volume of Algerian exports, are estimated at USD 21.06 billion during the first four months of 2014 against USD 21.90 billion at the same period in 2013, a 3.83 % decline.