Non-petroleum exports declined during the first seven months of the year by 18.7 percent to reach 11.150 billion dollars compared to 13.716 billion dollars during the same period last year.

The non-petroleum exports also dropped by 11.48 percent in July to hit 1.3 billion dollars compared to 1.5 billion dollars in the same month last year, the General Organization for Exports and Imports Control said on Wednesday.

From January to July, the non-petroleum exports hit 39.8 percent of this year's target, estimated with 28 billion dollars.

Earlier, Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour blamed the shortage of power for the retreating of exports, as it disrupted production of factories, along with the political and security turmoil in some vital markets for Egypt such as Libya, Syria and Iraq.