Inter- Arab trade for agricultural commodities

A report for the Arab economic unity council has unveiled an Arab attitude to implement almost 153 projects on agricultural integration at an invesment cost increasing $ 3.2 billion to cover part of the Arab food gap whose accumulated value reached during the period from 1990- to 1998 USD 90.7 billion. A matter which explains the increasing burden on the payment balances of many Arab states.

Press sources said that the report indicated that the volume of inter- Arab trade for agricultural commodities reached $ 3.9 billion, which represents 13.2% of the total Arab agricultural trade with the world countries which exceeded $ 29.8 billion as an average during the past ten years.

The report stressed that trade by itself will not attain an agricultural integration nor a common Arab market and that there should be investments that promote this trade, especially as Sudan is, among other Arab states, which is drastically in need to investments.