(MENAFN - Emirates News Agency (WAM)) UAE's foreign trade in Ceramics went up by 45 percent from 2010-2011 and that the UAE was the first globally in the product's re-export levels, owning a 60 percent share of the world's re-exports of Ceramics, According to a study released today by the Ministry of Foreign Trade on the development of the UAE Ceramics Trade.
The UAE was also found to be the foremost Arab exporter of the product, and the second after Turkey in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The study also revealed that Holland was the number one importer of UAE ceramics in 2011, with a 13.2 percent share of the country's overall exports of the product during the same year, followed by France at second place, then Britain, Belgium and Lebanon in consecutive order.
The study pointed out that the UAE is one of the world's advanced countries in the ceramics industry and owns the world's largest ceramics factories and that due to the country's rapid growth during the same period, also witnessed a 10.2 percent growth in its imports of the commodity during the same period, in which China was the foremost supplier of UAE ceramics imports in 2011.
The study also underlined the importance of intensifying the participation in ceramics manufacturing and construction specialized fairs and expos, which tend to have a direct impact and help factories achieve geographic expansion and increase the country's exports of the manufactured product.
Structural Changes The study's introduction also pointed out that the UAE's non-oil economic sectors are still witnessing big developments and are achieving high growth rates in comparison with previous years. Of the most important sectors that have contributed to this growth, the study said, was the construction and manufacturing sectors, adding that the construction GDP grew by 8.9 percent from 2010 - 2011 with a value that exceeded AED 131.2 billion in current prices. It also added that the manufacturing GDP grew by AED 99.4 billion (7.7 percent) during the same period. Both growths have contributed, it added, to positively affecting related industries such as the Ceramics industry.
The First in the Arab World The study also revealed that when comparing UAE Ceramics imports and exports data with that of regional and Arab countries, the UAE came in first place among Arab countries and the 2nd regionally after Turkey in this regard in 2011, keeping in mind the monumental developments that the UAE's ceramics industry witnessed with the presence of the Ras Al Khaimah Ceramics Factory, which is the largest such factory in the world.
Growth Rates The study highlighted the UAE's Ceramics foreign trade achievement of considerable advances over the past few years, forecasting that growth will continue into the future, pointing out that the sector grew by 45 percent to USD 1.224 billion from 2010-2011, adding that exports and re-exports constituted around 61.3 percent of the total UAE foreign trade of ceramics in 2011.
As for the country's ceramics exports, the UAE was able to achieve a 15 percent growth that was valued to be about USD 253.5 million. As for re-exports, the country achieved an unprecedented growth of around155.3 percent from 2010 - 2011 to reach USD 497.2 million (equivalent to over AED 1.8 billion) thus coming in first place through possessing a 60 percent share of the world's re-exports of the product. As for its imports, the study revealed that the UAE achieved a 10.2 percent growth to USD 472.2 million during the same period.
Export Destinations With regards to the markets importing the most of UAE ceramics exports, the study revealed that Holland came in first place with a 13.2 percent share of the country's overall exports of the product, followed by France, Britain, Belgium and Lebanon in consecutive order. It also pointed out that Italy and India joined the list of most important countries receiving UAE ceramics exports in 2011, with 5 European countries now in the ten country list of the most important countries receiving UAE ceramics in 2011.
Re-exports As to the most significant countries receiving ceramics re-exports from the UAE in 2011, Ethiopia came in first followed by Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Iraq in consecutive order.
Suppliers to the UAE The study revealed that China is considered the largest ceramics supplier to the UAE, with a 41.1 percent share of the country's ceramics imports in 2011 followed by Italy (10.5 percent), Spain (8.7 percent) and India (5.4 percent) with all of these countries combined constituting a 65.7 percent share of the country's total ceramics imports during that year.
Global Indicators With regards to the global ceramics trade, the study revealed that global ceramics imports have exceeded USD 43 billion dollars in 2011, achieving an 8.2 percent growth from 2010.
As to the world's largest ceramics exporters, it revealed that China, Italy, Germany and Spain were the world's leaders in this regard from 2007 - 2011, together owning a 59 percent share of the world's total ceramics exports in 2011, with China being the world's largest ceramics exporter with a 31.5 percent share of the world's products' exports during the same year.
Moreover, the U.S.A. was found to be the world's largest importer of ceramics with a 13 percent share of the world's imports of the product in 2011. America, Germany, France, the U.K., Japan, Russia, South Korea, Italy, Canada and Belgium were of the world's foremost importers of Ceramics from 2007 - 2011. Together, these countries owned a 45.6 percent share of the total value of global Ceramics imports in 2011.
