Growth rate amounts to 47% during past 5 years
* Ahmed Butti Ahmed: Investing in the strategic location of Dubai and the advanced services in land, sea and air entries contributes to expanding world class trade movement
* Precious metals products most exported with 63% of the compound exports
* India topped importing countries by 40.6%
Dubai: Dubai's non-oil direct exports grew an average rate of 23% in 2009 compared to 2008. The value of the exported goods through all Dubai Customs entries amounted to AED 52.4 billion in 2009 as apposed to AED 42.6 billion in 2008 while the growth rate over the past five years reached 47%.
H.E. Ahmed Butti Ahmed, Executive Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and Dubai Customs Director General stressed that the UAE adopted strategy with respect to diversifying the production base and the economic activities besides reinforcing trade and economic relations with countries of the world played a major role in attracting investment, nourishing the worldwide trade movement and positioning the UAE as a hub for trade in the Middle East.
He added that the noticeable growth of the Emirate of Dubai at the various business sectors and levels including the modern infrastructure and the advanced services available at Dubai Customs and Dubai Ports as well as the facilitations provided at the different customs land, sea and air entries contributed positively to the world trade movement in the Emirate. He stated that the exporting process was handled through 6000 companies and headed to different countries across the continents through Dubai entries.
H.E. Ahmed stressed that strategic partnership and the efficient cooperation between the Government and private sectors as well as implementing the government directives towards diversifying income sources and economic activities all helped develop the local economy and expand the international trade movement in Dubai.
"The fruitful outcome is merited from the efficient strategic partnership and cooperation between the government and the private sector. Investing in its outstanding location, Dubai constitutes a vital hub that links eastern with western worlds." He said.
Statistics indicate that Dubai exports contributed to 71% of the compound export rate in the UAE in 2008.
H.E. Ahmed said that valuable and traditional metals and the products made of them, processed food products, plastics, rubber and natural metal products had a share of 87% of the value of Dubai direct exports in 2009. He pointed out as well that precious metals and stones and their products constituted the biggest rate, with 63% this sector has been topping the exports list since 2007 and up to 2009 due to the increasing prices of gold in the local and international markets.
Normal metal products came second place with 8% whereas the processed food was the third with 7%. Then came fourth plastics and rubbery products with 5% whereas the fifth place of the exported goods was for the natural mineral products by 4%.
For the second consecutive year, India topped the list of export markets in Dubai, with a share of 40.6% and a value worth of AED 21.3 billion of the exported goods. Switzerland came second place, with a share of 16.6% (AED 8.7 billion). Then came third Saudi Arabia, with a total value of AED 2 billion (4% rate) followed by Pakistan with a share of 3.3% (AED 1.7 billion) and Iran which ranked fifth with a share of 2.8% and a value of AED 1.48 billion.
A more detailed view of the most significant goods and products Dubai exported to these five countries reveals that gold was mostly imported by India with AED 19.041 and 89.33% worth of the compound exports. India also imported scraps and metals that can be melted with a AED 693.371 million value and a percentage of 1.86%. other products had a value of AED 1.185 billion by 5.56%.
As for Switzerland which came second in terms of Dubai Export, gold accounted for the largest export with AED 7.417 and at 84.99%. Scraps and scraps and metals that can be melted were the second most imported by Switzerland with AED 1.270 billion and 14.56% of exports followed by precious jewelry and metals with AED 25.980 and 0.30%. The remaining products exported to Switzerland had a value of AED 12.575 million and 0.14%.
Gold also topped Saudi Arabia imports from Dubai with AED 1.076 billion (51.36%) milk and diary products was the second with AED 305.837 million (14.60%). Chocolate and food made of cacao was the third by AED 261.437 million (12.48%) and the remaining products had a value of AED 451.951 million (21.57% of the imported goods).
Pakistan imported sugar products the most in 2009 with a value of AED 688.344 million and 39.69% of Dubai Exports. Scraps and metals that can melt came second valued at AED 276.225 million and 15.93% while the rest of the imported goods had a value of AED 769.903 million and 44.39% of the compound exports.
Gold also crowned Iran's imported goods from Dubai with AED 404.104 million and 27.16%. Then came printed materials (AED 133.852 million and 9%). Raw aluminum was the third with a share of AED 89.994 million and a percentage of 6.05%. As for the remaining products, they were imported with a total of AED 860.093 million and 57.80%.
Moreover, H.E. Ahmed said that the growth rate of Dubai non-oil direct exports surged 29 per cent in 2000-2009 period and 47 per cent in the past five years. He also noted that exports reached out to different destinations across the world.
Statistics also show that the export growth rate exceeds both; the import and re-exports rates throughout the past five years. Such a thing reflects the increasing base of production and trust in UAE products at the international markets. H.E. Ahmed said that the government policies in terms of supporting and promoting industrial investment in the UAE played a major role in achieving such an amazing record.
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© Press Release 2010
