UAE non-oil trade reached Dh 1.07 trillion during 2014

ABU DHABI, 6th May, 2015 (WAM) -- The preliminary statistical data of the Federal Customs Authority (FCA) revealed an increase in the total non-oil direct trade of the United Arab Emirates to Dh 1.07 trillion during 2014, achieving a growth rate of 1 per cent over compared to the previous year. The FCA preliminary data indicated that the share of imports of the UAE total direct non-oil trade amounted to Dh 696.4 billion during the year, compared to Dh 685.1 billion in the previous year, i.e. increasing by 2per cent, while the value of exports amounted to about Dh 132.2 billion, and the value of re-exports to 243.7 billion Dh with a growth rate of 5per cent compared to the previous year. The FCA declared in a press statement yesterday, that the UAE direct non-oil trade is witnessing an increasing growth in recent years, in light of the great economic growth achieved by the country, as well as its flexible trade policy, and its success in removing the obstacles of trade with the outside world, in addition to the simplification and standardisation of the customs procedures in all the UAE entry ports. The FCA pointed out that the progress of the state to the third rank at the global level in terms of customs efficiency for 2014, the reduction of the customs clearance time at the border ports and the improvement of the customs inspectors efficiency contributed to the transformation of the UAE to a regional mall linking between East and West, and to the facilitation of global trade and the capital movement for the establishment of major investment projects, taking advantage of the features and facilities provided by the state. The UAE total non-oil trade volume reaches in terms of weight during 2014 approximately 171.9 million tons, 68.1 million tons of which were imports, and 92.9 million tons of exports, and 10.9 million tons of re-exports. The FCA stated that the daily average weights of customs messages in the UAE non-oil trade at the different customs ports during the 2014 amounted to about 716 thousand tons per day, on the basis of official working hours (8 hours / five days a week), with an average 90 thousand tons per hour. With regard to the UAE trading partners map in the field of non-oil trade, the FCA pointed out, in its statement, that the regional structure of the UAE trading partners in the field of non-oil trade was stable in terms of regions shares, as Asia, Australia and the Pacific region maintained the first rank on top of the non-oil trade partners with a share of Dh 424.5 billion equivalent to 41per cent of the UAE total non-oil trade. The European region came second in the list of the UAE trading partners with a share of Dh 282.8 billion, i.e. 27per cent of the total, followed by the Middle East and North Africa Region with Dh 163.9 billion, i.e. 16per cent, and the American and Caribbean Region with Dh 101 billion, i.e. 10per cent of the total, West and Central Africa with Dh 42.6 billion, i.e. 4.1per cent, and finally the Eastern and Southern Africa with Dh 9.2 billion, representing 3.1per cent of the UAE total non-oil trade during the year. With regards to the imports at the regional level, the statistical data showed that 42per cent of imports of the UAE non-oil trade during 2014, resulted from Asia, Australia and the Pacific region with Dh 288.6 billion, followed by the European region with Dh 205.8 billion, i.e. 30per cent of the total. The American and Caribbean region was ranked third in the list of the UAE trading partners with a value of Dh 91.7 billion, i.e. 13per cent of the total UAE non-oil imports, followed by the Middle East and North Africa with Dh 50.5 billion, i.e. 7per cent of the total, West and Central Africa with 29.3 billion Dh, i.e. 4per cent, and finally the Eastern and Southern Africa with Dh 19.7 billion, representing 3per cent of the UAE total non-oil imports during the year. The FCA explained that, in the field of the UAE non-oil exports, the Middle East and North Africa REGION represent was the first market for non-oil exports of the country, and was ranked on top of key importers from the State with a share of 38per cent of the UAE total non-oil exports, i.e. Dh 49.4 billion. Asia, Australia and the Pacific region was ranked second, with a share of 32.5per cent, i.e. Dh 42.3 billion, followed by the European region with 21.1per cent, i.e. Dh 27.5 billion, then the American and Caribbean region with 3.3per cent, i.e. Dh 4.3 billion, the Eastern and Southern African countries with 3per cent, i.e. Dh 3.9 billion, and finally the West and Central Africa with 2.1per cent, i.e. Dh 2.7 billion of the UAE total non-oil exports. The FCA pointed out in its statement, that the re-exports statistics during the 2014 showed that Asia, Australia and the Pacific region came on the top of the list of the UAE key trading partners in terms of re-exports within the UAE non-oil trade with Dh 93.7 billion, i.e. 40per cent of the total re-exports, followed by the Middle East and North Africa region with Dh 64 billion, i.e. 28per cent. Europe came third in the field of re-exports with a value of Dh 49.5 billion, i.e. 21per cent of the total re-exports, followed by the West and Central Africa region with Dh 10.6 billion, i.e. 5per cent, the Eastern and Southern Africa with Dh 8.5 billion, i.e. 4per cent and finally the American and Caribbean region with Dh 5.1 billion, i.e. 2per cent of the total re-exports. With regard to the UAE non-oil trade with the GCC countries, the FCA stated that the share of the UAE non-oil trade with the GCC countries during 2014 reached 9per cent of the total non-oil trade with the world, amounting to Dh 97.2 billion. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came on top of the Gulf countries in terms of the value of the UAE non-oil trade with a value of Dh 35.1 billion, i.e. 36per cent of the total non-oil trade with the GCC countries, followed by Oman with a value of Dh 25.9 billion, i.e. 27per cent, Kuwait with Dh 14.4 billion, i.e. 15per cent, Qatar with Dh 13 billion, i.e. 13per cent, and finally the Kingdom of Bahrain with a value of Dh 8.8 billion, i.e. 9per cent of the total non-oil trade with the GCC countries. In terms of trade with the Arab countries, the FCA preliminary data showed that the UAE total non-oil trade with the Arab states over the past year constitutes 16per cent of total non-oil trade of the country with the world, with a value of Dh 167.4 billion. According to the FCA, the non-oil imports to the UAE from the Arab countries amounted to Dh 51.1 billion in 2014, i.e. 7per cent of the total non-oil imports. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came on top of five Arab countries exporting to UAE with a value of Dh 14.6 billion, i.e. 28per cent of the UAE total non-oil trade with the Arab countries, followed by Sudan, with Dh 7 billion, i.e. 14per cent, the Sultanate of Oman with Dh 6.4 billion, i.e. 13per cent, Iraq with Dh 3.8 billion, i.e. 7.4per cent, Kuwait with Dh 3.5 billion representing 6.9per cent of the UAE total non-oil trade with the Arab countries. The UAE non-oil exports to the Arab markets in 2014 amounted to 38per cent of the UAE total exports, i.e. Dh 50.2 billion. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came on top of five Arab countries importing from the UAE with Dh 10.8 billion, i.e. 22per cent of the UAE total non-exports to the Arab countries, followed by Oman, with a value of Dh 8.7 billion, i.e. 17per cent, Iraq with Dh 6.2 billion, i.e. 12.4per cent, Kuwait with Dh 5.9 billion, i.e. 11.8per cent, and finally Egypt with Dh 4.8 billion, i.e. 10 per cent of the total non-oil exports of the UAE to the Arab countries. The FCA indicated that the non-oil re-exported goods from the UAE to the Arab countries during 2014, reached 27per cent of the UAE total non-oil re-exports, i.e. a value of Dh 66.1 billion. Iraq was ranked in the first place among the top five Arab countries to which the UAE has re-exported non-oil goods with a value of Dh 18.3 billion, i.e. 28per cent of the total re-exports to the Arab countries, followed by Oman with a value of Dh 10.8 billion, i.e. 16per cent, Saudi Arabia with Dh 9.7 billion, i.e. 15per cent, Qatar with Dh 6.4 billion, i.e. 10per cent, and Kuwait with Dh 4.9 billion, i.e. 7per cent of the total re-exports to the Arab countries. Concerning the best traded goods during 2014 in the field of the UAE non-oil trade, the FCA preliminary statistics revealed that the native gold and processed gold come on top of the imported goods, with a value of Dh 103.6 billion, i.e. 15per cent of the total non-oil imports. Cars came in the second place in the list of imports with a value of Dh 50.4 billion, i.e. 7per cent, non-composite diamond with a value of Dh 43 billion, i.e. 6per cent, ornaments, jewellery and precious metals with a value of Dh 31.3 billion, i.e. 4.5per cent, mobile phones with a value of Dh 27.8 billion, i.e. 4per cent of the total non-oil imports. According to the data related to the UAE non-oil exports during 2014, gold exports came in the first position with a value of Dh 39.3 billion, representing 30per cent of the UAE total non-oil exports, followed by the raw aluminium with a value of Dh 13.3 billion, i.e. 10per cent, the ethylene polymers in primary forms with a value of Dh 5.8 billion, i.e. 4.4 per cent, ornaments and jewellery with a value of Dh 5.5 billion, i.e. 4.2per cent and finally copper wire with a value of Dh 4.4 billion, i.e. 3per cent of the UAE total non-oil exports during the year. The FCA preliminary data indicated that the non-composite diamond came first as the best re-exported commodity in 2014 with Dh 47.5 billion, i.e. 19per cent of the total re-exports, followed by ornaments and jewellery with a value of Dh 34.1 billion, i.e. 14 per cent of the total, cars with Dh 23.6 billion, i.e. 10per cent, mobile phones with a value of Dh 13.8 billion, i.e. 6per cent, and aerial vehicles parts with a value of Dh 6 billion, i.e. 2per cent of the total re-exports during 2014. - Emirates News Agency, WAM –http://www.wam.ae/en/news/economics/1395280166236.html; http://www.wam.ae/en/news/economics/1395280166280.html