MUSCAT: Bilateral trade between Germany and Oman totalled around OMR301.1 million, with the Sultanate’s exports to the European state expanding by 2.8 per cent, said a senior official at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Muscat.
“In 2014, Oman exported OMR19.5 million to Germany, which showed an increase of 2.8 per cent compared to the preceding year, while Germany’s exports to the Sultanate totalled OMR281.6 million, down by 7.6 per cent,” said Franz-Josef Dicken, deputy head of mission at the German Embassy, who cited figures from Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI).
In 2014, Germany’s main exports to Oman were road vehicles (27 per cent), industrial machines and equipment (14.4 per cent) and electrical machinery (8.1 per cent), the official told Times of Oman in an exclusive interview.
Dicken said that the value of trade between the two countries was OMR292.6 million in 2013, compared to OMR315.7 million in 2012.
According to him, Germany’s main exports to Oman in 2013 were cars and spare parts (23.8 per cent), machinery (20.2 per cent), chemical products (10.1 per cent) and electrotechnology equipment (8.1 per cent). Miscellaneous items accounted for 37.8 per cent of the exports.
Meanwhile, chemical products (39.7 per cent), cars and spare parts (22.6 per cent) and machinery (10.8 per cent) topped the list of German’s main imports from Oman during the same period. The share of miscellaneous items was 26.9 per cent.
Germany is also interested in making investments in Oman and Dicken said that data from Germany’s Statistical Office in Wiesbaden shows that the total value of Germany’s direct investments in Oman was OMR29.1 million in 2013, up from OMR28.2 million in 2012.
According to GTAI, German foreign direct investments in Oman are made by eight companies with around 1,000 employees, the official noted.
Commenting on the nature of activities of German companies in the Sultanate, he said that they are involved in a number of infrastructure projects in Oman.
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