Abu Dhabi : India was the UAE's top trading partner last year with non-oil trade totalling $32.11 billion (Dh117.9 billion), figures from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs show.
India was the UAE's top export destination with exports valued at $15.24 billion, ministry figures showed. The UAE's imports from India amounted to $16.87 billion in 2008.
India's two-way non-oil trade with the UAE rose a whopping 53.45 per cent on year to $44.53 billion in India's fiscal year that ended March 2009, enabling the UAE to retain its status as India's largest trading partner, the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi said.
Non-oil trade rose 24 per cent on year to $29.02 billion in the year to March 2008, the Indian embassy said previously.
China was India's second largest trading partner in 2008-09 with two-way trade valued at $40.61 billion. It was followed by the US with $38.98 billion, Singapore with $15.64 billion and Hong Kong with $13.07 billion, the figures from the Indian embassy showed.
The UAE was also India's top export destination in the last Indian financial year with shipments valued at $23.92 billion, the Indian government figures showed. India's imports from the UAE amounted to $20.60 billion in 2008-09, second to those from China, which were valued at $31.33 billion.
India's exports to the UAE comprise mainly petroleum products, finished precious and semi-precious jewellery, machinery, textiles, apparel and cereals.
India's imports from the UAE consist primarily of crude oil, petroleum products, raw pearls, precious metals, electrical machinery and equipment and iron and steel.
"Looking ahead, we feel our bilateral trade with the UAE will continue to remain robust. I don't expect the global economic downturn to adversely impact our trade in a significant manner," Talmiz Ahmad, India's Ambassador to the UAE, told Gulf News.
