CAIRO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's total non-petroleum imports have declined to 24 billion U.S. dollars during the first half of the current year, compared to 33.9 billion in the same period last year, which represents a 29-percent decline, said an official report released on Tuesday.
The report of the General Organization of Export and Import Control (GOEIC) pointed out that imports from European Union (EU) states to Egypt reached 8.151 billion dollars during the first six months of 2017, compared to 11.517 billion in the same period last year, with a 29-percent decline as well.
According to the GOEIC report, the imports from China, the largest exporter to Egypt, declined from 4.9 to 3.4 billion dollars, showing a 30-percent decrease, while those of Germany, Egypt's second largest exporter, decreased by 27 percent, from 3.1 to 2.28 billion.
The imports coming from United States, the third largest exporter to the Arab country, declined in the same period by 19 percent, from 1.9 to 1.6 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, those of Italy decreased by 25 percent in the same period, declining from 2.046 to 1.535 billion dollars.
Egyptian Trade and Industry Minister Tarek Kabil said earlier in August that the country's exports increased by 8 percent in the first half of 2017, recording 11.1 billion dollars compared to 10.2 billion during the same period last year.
Egypt has been suffering economic recession over the past few years of political instability and relevant security issues that led to the decline of tourism, foreign currency reserves and foreign investments.
Besides floating its local currency's exchange rate to face dollar shortage, Egypt started last year a three-year economic reform program including austerity measures, fuel subsidy cuts and tax increase.
The program is encouraged by an IMF 12-billion-dollar loan, a third of which has already been delivered to Egypt in two tranches in November 2016 and July 2017.
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