In the first quarter of 2010, India has emerged as the largest trading partner for the oil rich nation, United Arab Emirates. During this period, India had the maximum share of Dubai’s total imports, followed by China and the United States. Indian SMEs are also in the race to forge trade ties with the UAE and expand their global presence.
The consumer electronic sector in the UAE has been attracting Indian SMEs because of its duty-free marketing environment. Indian forms venturing into the electronics market of the UAE are also exploring the opportunity to increase their clientele in the African markets.
The Dubai Shopping festival, which commenced since 1996, has been giving a wonderful platform to SMEs in the consumer electronic segment to display their products and services. Added to this, the demand for products made in India is high in the UAE because of lower production costs and advanced manufacturing technology. The UAE has been aggressively importing goods such as gems and jewellery, garments and metals from India. Apart from trade in these sectors, insurance and transportation are also emerging as hot sectors.