UAE non-oil trade grows by 2.3% in Q1-2012

Abu Dhabi, Sept 30, 3012 (WAM) - The UAE non-oil foreign trade maintained an impressive growth in the first quarter of 2012, according to statistical data released by the Federal Customs Authority (FCA). It showed that the growth rate of UAE exports hit 38% in the said quarter, raising the exports to Dh 34.3 b compared to Dh 24,8 b in the same period of the last year with an increase of Dh 9.5 b. In the same period, the UAE imports rose to 6%, raising the UAE non-oil imports by Dh 8.9 b from Dh 147 b in the first quarter of 2011 to Dh 156.3 b this year. The re-exports reached Dh 47.8 b within this period. "The growth rate of the UAE non-oil foreign trade hit 2.3% in the first quarter of this year", the FCA said. "Preliminary statistical data showed that the UAE total non-oil trade with foreign countries rose by Dh 5.4 b to Dh 238.4 b from January to late March 2012, compared to Dh 233 b in the same period last year. In terms of weight, the UAE total foreign trade hit about 23.4 million tons in the first quarter of 2012, including 13.1 million tons in imports, 8.4 million tons in exports and 2.3 million tons in re-exports, the FCA said. The daily average of consignments- imported, exported and re-exported- processed by different customs outlets hit about 99 thousand tons per day with an average of 12 thousand tonnes per hour. "The UAE non-oil trade with the outside world hit about Dh 83.5 b in March 2012 only; Dh 54.7 b in imports, Dh 12.2 b in exports and Dh 16.6 b of re-exports", the FCA said. Asia-Pacific region, the FCA said, maintained first place among the top non-oil trade partners of the UAE in the same quarter. The region's total trade with the UAE reached Dh 110.2 b by 47% of the total trade, followed by Europe with Dh 58.8 b (25% of the total), the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with Dh 31 b (13%), America and the Caribbean with Dh 21.3 b (9%), the Central and Western Africa with Dh 6.7 b (2.9%) and COMESA with Dh 6.3 b (2.7%). The total of UAE non-oil foreign trade with the Gulf Council Countries (GCC) hit Dh 18.6 billion in the first quarter of this year, the FCA said in the press release. This total consisted of Dh 6.9 billion in imports, Dh 4.8 billion in exports and Dh 6.9 billion in re-exports. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the FCA said, kept its top place among the UAE trade partners from the GCC in the first quarter. The UAE total trade with the KSA reached Dh 7.1 billion. Oman came in the second place with Dh 4.7 billion followed by Kuwait with Dh 2.4 billion, Qatar with Dh 2.4 billion and finally Bahrain with Dh 2 billion. The UAE total foreign trade with Arab countries hit about Dh 31.8 billion in the first quarter. This total is divided into Dh 14.1 billion in imports; Dh 7 billion in exports and Dh 10.7 billion in re-exports", the FCA added. The preliminary statistics for the first quarter of this year showed that gold came at the top of the imported goods with Dh 26.5 billion, followed by diamond with Dh 11.7 billion, cars with Dh 9 billion and jewellery with Dh 7.1 billion, the FCA said. In the first quarter, the FCA said, gold was the top among exported goods with Dh 17.6 billion, followed by polyethylene and propylene polymers in crude forms with Dh 3.8 billion, jewels and pieces of jewellery with Dh 1.1 billion and petroleum and other oils with Dh 812 million. Diamond, the FCA indicated, came first in re-exports in the first quarter of 2012 with Dh 12 billion, followed by jewels and pieces of jewellery with Dh 3.6 billion, phones with Dh 3.4 billion. The total trade of markets and free zones, the FCA said, hit Dh 3.8 billion in the same period. – Emirates News Agency, WAM