Israeli exports expected to reach $54.5 billion by year's end, ‎ministry says ‎

Israeli exports are expected to reach $54.5 billion ‎in 2018, representing a 2.3% growth from last year, ‎a report by the Economy and Industry Ministry said ‎Sunday.‎

The report noted that Europe was Israel's largest ‎export market with a 37% share. North America is the ‎country's second-largest export market, making up 28% ‎of all exports, with the Asian market third, with ‎‎26%. ‎

Smaller export markets include Africa, Latin America ‎and other nations. ‎
According to the report, exports to Asia have grown ‎by 18% since 2017.‎

Exports to China, in particular, have soared, reaching ‎‎$2.8 billion in the first half of 2018 – up 73% from ‎the same period last year. ‎

Exports to India between January and June have grown ‎by 7.1% compared to 2017, reaching $1.15 billion.‎

Japan also proved to be a growing market for Israeli ‎products this year, with exports so far reaching ‎‎$640 million – a 58.7% rise from the same period ‎last year.‎

China, India and Japan have all be defined by the ‎government as priority export markets. ‎

Exports to Latin America grew by 13.8% in the first ‎six months of 2018, with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay ‎and Uruguay – countries with which Israel signed ‎free trade zone agreements in recent years – leading ‎the trend.‎

‎"The government has set a goal of crossing the $120 ‎billion-mark in exports by 2020, after crossing the ‎‎$100 billion mark in 2017," Economy and Industry ‎Ministry Eli Cohen said.‎

‎"Thanks to the collaboration of exporters, the ‎Israel Export Institute and the Economy and Industry ‎Ministry, exporters have become a leading force in ‎in Israel's economic growth," he said.‎