Abu Dhabi non-oil trade up 15.7%

Abu Dhabi - Non-oil imports rise 6.15% in Q2, exports and re-exports contribute 68.9%.

Abu Dhabi's non-oil merchandise trade rose 15.7 per cent year on year in the second quarter to Dh42.4 billion, said Statistics Centre-Abu Dhabi, or Scad, in its latest report.
The trade growth reflects an increase of Dh1.7 billion or 6.1 per cent year on year in non-oil imports, an increase of Dh4.4 billion or 97.5 per cent year on year in non-oil exports, offset partially by a decrease of Dh335 million in re-exports during in the April-June period of 2015.
Non-oil imports, exports and re-exports contributed 68.9 per cent, 21.1 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, of total merchandise trade through Abu Dhabi Ports in the second quarter of 2015. According the report SCAD, 'machinery and transport equipment' was the largest contributor to imports, representing 50.8 per cent of the total. Its value increased by 10.7 per cent to Dh1.4 billion compared with the same period previous year.
The main contributors to this increase were 'other transport equipment', which advanced by Dh1.3 billion in the second quarter of the year. The report reveals an increase of Dh4.4 billion or 97.5 per cent year-on-year in the value of non-oil exports during the second quarter of 2015, with 'commodities and transactions' as the largest non-oil exports by Standard International Trade Classification comparison. The second largest SITC4 section was 'manufactured goods classified by material', although it fell by 10.6 per cent year-on-year, followed by 'chemicals and related products' that grew up 9.3 per cent year-on-year.
As SCAD's report finds, 'industrial supplies not elsewhere specified' was the largest category of imports representing 36.4 per cent of the total value, having grown by 5.2 per cent year-on-year to Dh522 million. The second largest category was 'capital goods', which increased 26.7 per cent, while the third largest was, 'transport equipment and parts', declined by 5.2 per cent to Dh364 million.
The combined contribution of these items was 87.8 per cent, in the quarter up against 86.1 per cent in second quarter 2014.The 6.1 per cent year on year rise in the value of imports was mainly due to an increase of Dh1.7 billion in 'ships, boats and barges' and Dh1.0 billion in 'pearls, precious metals, stones & articles'.
With a share of 48.9 per cent, Asia represented the leading source of imports through the ports of Abu Dhabi during Q2 2015, compared with 26.0 per cent and 15.0 per cent for imports from Europe and North America, respectively. The report reveals an increase of 97.5 per cent or Dh4.4 billion in the value of non-oil exports during the second quarter of 2015, with 'commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere', having increased by Dh4.3 billion in the period.
'Manufactured goods classified by material', however, fell by 10.6 per cent, while 'chemicals and related products' rose 9.3 per cent over the period under comparison. The 'industrial supplies' contributed 87 per cent to the exports during April-June period. This category showed an increase of Dh3.9 billion, up 100.1 per cent year-on-year.
The food and beverages, followed by consumer goods contributed 97.5 per cent of the total value of non-oil exports in the quarter in 2015, up against 92.7 per cent in the same period last year.
The rise in non-oil exports during the period was mainly due to an increase of Dh 4.4 billion in the exports of 'pearls, precious metals, stones and articles', partially offset by decreases of Dh257 million in the exports of 'aluminium and articles' and Dh248 million in the exports of 'copper and articles'.
- haseeb@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi