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.
Panot Punyahotra, Consul (Commercial) at Office of Commercial Affairs at the Royal Thai Consulate General in Dubai, UAE, said these are among the products that UAE imports from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the world.
Punyahotra also cited data showing other products the Emirates imports from the world, 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.
Punyahotra said the UAE has a population of 9.29 million people while it is the logistics hub of the world.
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 the customers’ needs.
Punyahotra said they can contact their embassies in UAE to assist them, adding that every ASEAN country has 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.
“Because if you go to the supermarkets in Dubai, the 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 the local regulations,” he added.
Punyahotra said buyers will also inform the exporters of the documents they have to prepare.
He said going or 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 by yourself what kind of competitors you have, you can see the prices…,” he said.
Punyahotra said entrepreneurs can also export from home to customers or distributors in the UAE.
Source: PHILEXPORT News and Features
May 20, 2024
