ABU DHABI, May 15, (KUNA): Total value of the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade was about 63 billion dirhams by the end of March 2010, according to preliminary statistics released by the Federal Customs Authority.
This total is made of AED 40.8 billion of imports, AED 6.8 billion of exports and AED 15.4 billion as value of re-exports. Meanwhile, the weight of the UAE’s total foreign trade during the same period was 5.8 million tons including 3.7 million tons for imports 1.4 million tons for exports and 0.7 million tons for e-exports.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Acting General Manager of Federal Customs Authority said the preliminary customs statistics of the country’s non-oil foreign trade has shown a considerable growth in all fields of the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade with the world.
This reflects the positive image of the national economy within that period and confirms the previous statements of the UAE’s prudent leadership to the effect that the national economy has actually entered a stage of recovery from the world financial downturn.
He pointed out that the continuation of the upward, considerably-high trend of the UAE’s foreign trade in the first quarter of this year was a good indication that it is possible for the UAE to achieve its targeted economic growth levels during the current year.
To evidence his statement, he said the Federal Customs Authority preliminary statistics showed a growth of 18 percent in the UAE’s foreign trade in the period between March 2009 and March 2010. The total value of foreign trade rose to AED 63 billion by end of March 2010 as against AED 53 billion at end of March 2009.
Total value of imports was up by 11 percent, from AED 36.6 billion at end of March 2009 to AED 40.8 billion at end of March 2010. The value of imports, in the meanwhile, has recorded a big rise of 46 percent, from AED 4.6 billion to AED 6.8 billion, and re-export was up by 29 percent, from AED 11.9 billion to AED 15.4 billion in the above period.
He added that the preliminary customs statistics showed a sustained growth trend representing a comparison between the figures of the two first quarters of 2009 and 2010. This period witnessed a growth of 5 percent in the total value of the UAE’s foreign trade. The total value of country’s trade rose from AED 164 billion to in the first quarter of 2009 to AED 171.7 billion in the same period of 2010. While the value of the imports dropped by 2 percent in that period, from AED 113.6 billion to AED 113.4 billion.
Re-export
Imports jumped by 23 percent, from AED 14.1 billion to AED 17.4 billion. The value of the re-export trade rose by 13 percent from AED 36.3 billion in the first quarter of 2009, to AED 40.9 billion in the same period of 2010.
In a press release, the Federal Customs Authority said that the total value of the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade rose by 13 percent, from AED 55.6 billion in Jan 2010 to AED 63 billion in March 2010, and by 19 percent, from AED 53 billion in Feb to AED 63 billion in March 2010.
As for the geographical distribution of the country’s non-oil foreign trade during the research period, the press release said India, China, USA, Japan, Germany, UK, Italy, Switzerland, France and Malaysia respectively topped the list of exporting counties to the UAE in March 2010 with a total export value of AED 24.6 billion - 60 percent - of the total value of the UAE’s imports.
On the list of importers, the first 10 were: India, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Pakistan, Iran and Yamen at a value of AED 5.2 billion- 76 percent of the total for the same period. In the field of re-export, the order was India, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany with a total value of AED 10.8 billion representing 70 percent of re-export total value.
In its press release, the Authority pointed out that the total value of non-oil trade wit AGCC states according to preliminary figures of March 2010 amounted to AED 4.7 billion. The shares of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait were AED 1.8 billion, 813 million, 769 million, 800 million and 542 million, respectively.
The share of the Emirate of Dubai alone of the above trade volume according to the statistics of March 2010 amounted to AED 38.3 billion, while the shares of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain stood at AED 9.7 billion, 3.8 billion, 288 million, 482 million, 816 million and 30 million respectively.
The Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah represented about 82 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil trade.