The General Administration of Customs - Abu Dhabi announced on Wednesday that external trade in July 2008 increased by 36.6 percent over the same period in 2007, highlighting the high-growth trade environment of Abu Dhabi. Overall trade volume was AED8.59 billion in July this year as against AED 6.289 billion for July 2007. Saudi Arabia, Japan and Germany were the top three exporters to the emirate last month, while Qatar, Saudi Arabia and China were the top three destinations for Abu Dhabi's non-oil exports. The top re-exports destinations were Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain. The department also announced that 57 percent of imports were through seaports while 32 percent merchandise passed land borders and 11 percent were through airfreight. According to the new statistics, imports during July 2008 reached AED7.492 billion compared to AED5.141 billion in the same period in 2007 - registering an increase of 46 percent. Non-oil exports of Abu Dhabi reached to AED578 million and 877 thousand in July 2008 compared to AED579 million and 805 thousand in the same period in 2007. Re-export activities witnessed a decrease last July plummeting to AED518 million and 965 thousand in July 2008 from AED567 million and 937 thousand for the same period last year. Commenting on the comprehensive report on external trade activities that include imports, non-oil exports and re-exports transactions during July 2008, Saeed Ahmed Al-Muhairi, vice director of the Abu Dhabi Customs Administration, praised the ongoing growth of external trade activities despite the usual general slow down during the summer period. “The statistics represent a hard proof that reflects the high stature of Abu Dhabi in the Customs field. Through providing traders with high end services, we were able to attract more dealers who expect simple and swift customs procedures”, he said. He also stressed that the report highlights the increasing economic importance of Abu Dhabi, as a premium hub for the services industry in the region, whereas the Emirate is witnessing a phenomenal expansion on all levels. __
