UAE offers export opportunities

UAE offers export opportunities | Daily Tribune

Filipino exporters, particularly those of smartphones, jewelry and motor vehicles, can export more to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) given its rising population and income levels.

Those are among the products that UAE imports from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the world, according to Panot Punyahotra, Commercial Consul with the Office of Commercial Affairs, Royal Thai Consulate General in Dubai, UAE.

Punyahotra also cited data showing other products that the Emirates imports globally, including gold, telephone sets, diamonds whether or not worked but not mounted or set, petroleum oils, and articles of jewelry and parts thereof of precious metals.

“They import quite a lot of this jewelry. The rest will be mostly the industrial products and interestingly, you will not see food items here but if you combine the small items of food products, it will be a big part also for Dubai imports,” he said during a webinar organized by the ASEAN Access LEARN.

Logistics hub of the world

Punyahotra said the UAE, the logistics hub of the world, has a population of 9.29 million people.

To seize these huge market opportunities, entrepreneurs who are interested in exporting their products to the UAE must conduct thorough research and understand the regulations, measures, and standards that correspond to customers’ needs.

Punyahotra said entrepreneurs can contact their embassies in UAE to assist them, adding that each ASEAN country has a trade promotion organization in the Emirates which can provide them a list of potential buyers.

He said documents required for exporting depend on the product the entrepreneurs intend to export, noting that for example, food items containing meat need halal certification.

Halal

“If you go to supermarkets in Dubai, consumers know that every item they buy, they don’t have to worry (if) it would be halal because otherwise, the government will not allow it to go into the country. But they also have a section which is non-halal,” he said.

“So it doesn’t matter if you export for the foreign workers or for the locals. Once it passes the border, it must comply with local regulations,” he added.

Punyahotra said buyers will also inform the exporters of the documents they have to prepare.

He said participating in trade fairs in the UAE also bring benefits to entrepreneurs.

“If you will not go there to exhibit, you can go there to see the products of your competitors. You can see for yourself what kind of competitors you have, you can see the prices…,” he said.