Qatar’s Imports Surged in August Despite of Sanctions

Imports of Qatar rose in value as it bounced off abruptly during the month of August compared to the earlier month as stated in the government data on Wednesday. This could mean that the economic impact of sanctions enforced by neighboring Arab nations is ebbing.

Previously imports dropped over a third in value after several countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt which severed their diplomatic ties with Doha on June 5. However, this affected the shipping routes to Qatar as it closed the border of its country with Saudi Arabia where food and construction materials are being imported.

However, figures showed a sudden increase of 39.1 percent to 8.68 billion riyals or $2.38 billion last month as reported by the planning and statistics ministry. Although in contrast to the statistics from a year earlier, the imports were 7.8 percent lower exhibiting a big recovery compared to the levels for the month of June and July when it plunged greater than 35 percent last year.