AMMAN — The volume of national exports in 2018 grew by 3.6 per cent compared with 2017, pushed by the increase in clothes, potash and fertilisers exports, the Department of Statistics (DoS) announced on Monday.

A DoS statement, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, showed that the value of national exports in 2018 totalled JD4.668 billion, while the value of imports during the same year dropped by 1.4 per cent to JD14.354 billion.

Exports of clothes went up by 11.6 per cent, those of potash increased by 16.1 per cent and exports of fertilisers grew by 13.1 per cent, according to the statement.

On the other hand, the value of pharmaceutical exports declined by 0.1 per cent, fruits and vegetables by 18.4 per cent and raw phosphate by 8.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, the value of imports of crude oil and its derivatives were up by 20.2 per cent; machines, electric appliances and their parts by 2.4 per cent; iron by 16.6 per cent; and plastics by 3.7 per cent.

The value of imports of vehicles, motorcycles and their parts dropped by 22 per cent and those of machinery and their parts went down by 24.1 per cent, the statement added.