Doha, May 20 (QNA) - The Peninsula newspaper praised in it's editorial on Thursday the strength and resilience of the Qatari economy, pointing out that Qatar has maintained trade surplus in the past several months, helped by the rise in exports.

The newspaper explained that the rising exports reflect the strength of domestic economy which has performed well despite difficult situation created by coronavirus pandemic, adding that the data of the Planning and Statistics Authority showed that Qatar has recorded a merchandise trade balance surplus (difference between total exports and imports) of QR39.9bn in the first quarter of this year, up from QR33.6bn in the first quarter of 2020.

It stated that growth in trade surplus and exports is a good sign and it will boost the local economy, pointing out to several other indicators also showed signs of strong recovery in Qatari economy. For example, the overall monthly Producer Price Index (PPI) of Qatars industrial sector for March 2021 was estimated at 60.8 points, showing an increase of 3.6 percent compared to the previous months PPI, official data released by the Planning and Statistics Authority showed.

The Peninsula pointed out in the conclusion that lifting the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus infections on May 28 will further accelerate the pace of economic growth in Qatar, adding that as other countries ease restrictions, there will be an increase in activities in these countries, which creates a rise in demand of energy provided by the State of Qatar as the country is the biggest exporter of LNG in the world. (QNA)