Abu Dhabi records Dhs80.23bn non-oil foreign trade in first five months of 2020

Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade reached Dhs80.23bn over the first five months of 2020, reported Abu Dhabi Customs.

Exports reached Dhs23.2bn and re-export were recorded at Dhs14.79bn, while imports reached Dhs42.24bn.

Saudi Arabia was the emirate’s top trading partner, accounting for Dhs17.91bn worth of trade, reported news agency WAM.

Pearl, precious stones, precious metals, and their manufactures topped the list of most exported non-oil goods from Abu Dhabi, valued at Dhs6.27bn, followed by common metals and their manufacture valued at Dhs5.92bn.

For re-exports, transportation equipment topped the list at a value of Dhs5.59bn, while machines, recording devices, and audio and visual broadcasting equipment was pegged at Dhs9.65bn.

The number of completed custom transactions reached 434,647 through Abu Dhabi land, sea, and air outlets.

Saeed Saad Al Qahtani, head of Khalifa Port Custom Centre, said that the Khalifa Port Custom Centre witnessed a growth of around seven per cent in standard containers entry during the Q1 2020, compared to the corresponding period last year.

He added that the centre received about 78,000 standard containers during the same period to meet the community’s needs of commodities, food, and medicine.

Also, Customs Controller, Salem Hussein, added that as part of its Covid-19 precautionary measures, all inspectors undergo regular Covid-19 tests to ensure the health and safety of themselves and those they working alongside.

Read: Abu Dhabi Customs launches economic stimulus package to support importers

In May, Abu Dhabi Customs launched an economic stimulus package to support businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The incentives included postponing the payment of custom duties, offering pre-clearance services prior to the arrival of shipments., cancellation of the temporary admission insurance fee and replacing bank guarantees with corporate guarantees following a request and letter of guarantee issued by a company that wants to avail of this benefit.