Dubai Customs revealed the emirate’s external food trade in 2021 grew 11 percent to reach $15.1 billion (AED57bn), compared to AED51.4bn in 2020.
Exports grew 11.3 percent to AED10.8bn, from AED9.7bn in 2020, while re-exports went up by 10 percent to AED7.9bn from AED7.2bn, and imports rose 11 percent to AED38.2bn from AED34.4bn.
In terms of volume, Dubai traded 14.1 million tonnes of foodstuff in 2021, which included 9.9 million tonnes of imports, 3 million tonnes of exports, and 1.1 million tonnes of re-exports.
“The Holy Month of Ramadan is just around the corner, and at this time every year, there is a marked growth in foodstuff trade compared to other months. During this period, Dubai Customs works at full capacity to facilitate increased trade and ensure smooth access to foodstuffs in the local market,” said Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, director-general of Dubai Customs and CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation.
“There is particularly increased demand this month due to the reopening of Ramadan tents, which were closed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Food trade is one of the major sectors benefiting from smart customs services and procedures provided by the Government Department, due to its nature and the need to ensure rapid clearance while ensuring the highest safety.
“Dubai Customs works constantly to develop its procedures and services in order to meet the evolving needs of the trading community. Our advanced systems completed 21.3 million customs declarations in 2021, growing 54.3 percent from 13.8 million declarations in 2020, which means we processed an average of 58,300 declarations every day last year,” he added.
The director-general highlighted the role the quarterly Dubai Customs Consultative Council (DCCC) meetings play in connecting better with the business groups in the emirate.
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