• Home
• /
• Business

Dubai’s direct exports post 35% growth

DUBAI — Dubai’s direct exports, which recorded a 35 per cent growth in the first three quarters of the year, is expected to continue its upward trend, top government officials said.

Dubai direct exports rose by 35 per cent, the total re-exports increased by 25 per cent while the imports grew by 17 per cent in the same period, according to the latest data.

“All these indicators are good... which shows that we start going back to the right track,” Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) Director-General Sami Dhaen Al Qamzi told reporters on the sidelines of second exporters’ forum.

Al Qamzi said that exports and re-exports are very major sectors in the emirates’ economy, as its contribution to gross domestic product is high.

“We have to re-focus on trade as it’s very important to our economy,” he said. Measures are being taken by the government to further enhance trade, Al Qamzi said.

“Today’s forum is one of the efforts,” he added.

He said main idea of the forum is to exchange ideas, solve problem, enhance network to focus on solving the issues and to enhance contribution of this sector in the economy.

Earlier in his address at the forum, Dubai Exports (EDC) Chief Executive Officer Eng Saed Al Awadi said the UAE is striving to become one of the leading exporting countries in the world.

The EDC is an agency of the DED.

Although this vision is still distant due to a major challenge posed by the dumping policy -of some major industrial countries and with their long history in manufacturing that is hard to compete with, yet our government is willing and able to overcome such challenges,” Al Awadi said.

The forum received a good response from local and regional exporters, manufacturers and government officials, who attended the event to discuss the current exports and trade services as well as opportunities available to private sector companies.

The forum also focused on ways to increase UAE exports to major markets across the world in the coming years. Al Awadi also explained that the second edition of the Exporters Forum is one of the most important tools to equip businesses with the right tools to succeed in a competitive global marketplace.

Today marks our aim of making it an annual fixture on the UAE’s events calendar. We want this forum to be the venue for facilitating the growth of the local export sector and discuss different approaches to make this sector successful, Al Awadi added.

In the first session, Fatma Al Hussani, Director of the Ministry of Economy’s Trade Marks Department, discussed the role of the department and how private firms can register for trademarks.

Mahmood Bastaki, Director, Dubai Trade, shared the role of the agency in international trading and exporting. As the single window channel to the online services of DP World, Dubai Customs, Economic Zones World and Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority, Dubai Trade provides streamlined flow of services in trade and logistics operations in Dubai.

Meanwhile, Nehmat Ayyash, Chief of the Trade Information Division at the Arab Trade Financing Programme, explained the organisation’s financing facilities and services available for the development of the production capabilities and competitiveness of exporters in the Arab region.

The second Exporters’ Forum was supported by Khaleej Times, CNBC Arabia and Ganty Advertising & Publishing LLC. They were awarded at the forum for their support.

abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com