uae. dubai’s cement imports showed an increase of 73.6% (1.256 million
tonnes) in 2007 compared to the previous year. the rise is from 1.704
million tonnes in 2006 to 2.960 million tonnes in 2007, according to
figures released by dubai world’s statistics department.
last year’s import performance came after the soaring increase of
184% (1.104 million tonnes) in 2006 compared to 2005, from 600,000
tonnes to 1.704 million tonnes.
nassim al mehairi, acting head of dubai world’s statistics
department, said that the total value of dubai’s cement imports during
2007 was around aed 672 million against aed 374 million in 2006.
“cement imports have soared during the past three years as a result
of the unprecedented construction activities here that accompanied the
overall economic boom in the uae and the region. the sharp increase in
oil prices is a major reason for this boom. this has led to more
spending on infrastructure, especially on roads, bridges and other
related projects. the positive economic atmosphere has also led to the
creation of several new commercial and residential complexes and urban
communities,” she said.
al mehairi added: “major projects such as the dubai metro, new
airports, marine terminals and urban development show that dubai’s
cement imports will continue growing at even higher rates in the coming
years.
the statistics department figures show that china tops the list of
countries from which dubai imported cement in 2007, with 1.9 million
tonnes amounting to aed 399 million. india follows, with 553,000 tonnes
for the value of aed 134 million. the other top cement trading partners
are pakistan (255,000 tonnes for aed 71 million), thailand (148,000
tonnes for aed 33 million) and indonesia (71,000 tonnes for aed 20.7
million.)
