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Photo: Meir Partush

Israeli exports: From $6M to $80B

Figures published in honor of Independence Day show exports grow 13,400 times since State's establishment in 1948. Diamond exports rise from $2.8 million to $8.9 billion

Israel's exports have grown 13,400 times since the State's establishment in 1948, according to figures released Tuesday by the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute (IEICI) in honor of Independence Day.

 

The exports rose from some $6 million 63 years ago to some $80.5 billion in 2010.

 

According to the data, diamond exports grew 3,190 times – from $2.8 million in 1948 to $8.9 billion in 2010.

 

While in the beginning Israel exported mostly citrus fruit and diamonds, and had very little industrial exports, the main component in the State's exports today is in the technological industries: Electronics, software and computerized systems, communications and medical equipment.

 

According to the IEICI's economic division, the exports of goods and services in the high-tech industries – including research and development services – reached some $28.5 billion in 2010, making up 35% of Israel's total exports.

 

Agricultural exports, which reached $1.3 billion in 2010, make up only 2% of Israel's exports these days.

 

An IEICI analysis reveals that markets in North American and Europe have served as main destinations for the export of goods since the State's establishment. And yet, while in the early 1950s and 1960s the export of goods to Europe made up some 70% of Israeli exports, today it stands at only 32%.

 

Exports to Asia, on the other hand, made up only 1% of Israel's exports in the 1950s, while today 24% of the goods are exported there.

 

Israel signed its first trade agreement with Hungary, in Budapest, on January 12, 1949. Hungary committed to supplying Israel with beef, grains, machinery and heavy industrial equipment, while Israel committed to supplying Hungary with paint, chemicals, threads, citrus fruit and dentures.

 

Today, the volume of trade with Hungary stands at some $376 million and it Israel's 37th trade partner.

 

The IEICI predicts a 7% rise in the exports of goods and services in 2011, reaching about $86 billion.

 

"From a country with orange exports in its first years, Israel has become a developed country in production and exports," says IEICI Chairman Ami Erel. "The development of exports over time requires significant investment in the education and research systems and efforts to continue raising the level of innovation."

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.13.11, 07:29
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