Dubai Customs meet highlights its role in the success of Expo 2020

In its first quarterly meeting in 2022, Dubai Customs Consultative Council (DCCC) applauded Dubai’s exceptional hosting of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director-General of Dubai Customs, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation highlighted the great efforts exerted in organising this global grand event, including Dubai Customs’, which helped with the clearance of the fair’s goods that are worth around Dhs1 billion. The total number of visits to the world’s fair since it opened on 1st October had reached 20 million on Saturday.

In the presence of Dubai’s business groups, members of the DCCC, Musabih said government services are becoming more efficient and integrated with the launch of “Services 360” vision by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council.

Discussions and presentations in the meeting covered Dubai Customs’ performance in 2021. Around 99.6 per cent of customs transactions are completed through smart channels, which helped increase the number of transactions to 24 million in 2021, growing 50 per cent from 16 million in 2020.

“This is getting the emirate closer to achieving its milestone of Dhs2 trillion in trade in the coming years. Trade is growing, and indicators are positive. This reflects the significance of the partnership between the public and private sectors in enhancing sustainable economic and trade development,” Musabih said.

Abdulrahman Haidar, Head of World Logistics Passport talked about the World Logistics Passport, which Dubai launched globally at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020 following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The initiative facilitates global trade and helps to reimagine how goods and services move around the world, increase resilience in global supply chains and remove the barriers that prevent economies from trading as freely as possible.

Salim Abdeen, Head of e-commerce at DP World, delivered a presentation on Dubuy.com; DP World’s first e-commerce project. The platform adds digital trading corridors to the physical corridors DP World has built across the African continent with its investment in ports, terminals and logistics operations. The platform enables global companies to find and serve new trading partners in Africa, opening up access to fast-growing markets.

Malik Hanouf, CEO of Brand Owners’ Protection Group talked about the new Federal Trademarks Law, No. 36 of 2021, which came into effect on 2nd January, 2022, and replaced the previous trademark law (Federal Law No. 37 of 1992). As a result, brand owners will now be able to benefit from increasingly more cost-effective and easier means to protect, commercialise and enforce their trademark rights in the UAE.

Ertan Yetisener of Fruits and Vegetables Traders Group delivered a presentation on the fruits and vegetables sector locally and globally. He said the sector is developing fast to keep abreast with the national, regional and international economic trade, with certain factors determining that growth, namely the growth of population and the increase in consumption rates, and the growth of tourism.

There are 2,495 companies operating in the fruits and vegetable sector in Dubai. Retail food trade accounted for $55 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $75 billion in 2025, growing 5.3 per cent.

Yetisener said the UAE ranked 21st on the Global Food Index in 2019, achieving a 10-place leap, moving from 31st rank in 2018, with ambitions of being among the top 10 countries.

At the end of the meeting, Edris Behzad, Director of Client Happiness Department, reaffirmed effective communication with the clients. The DCCC is the first of its kind among customs organisations.

“Dubai Customs ranked second on Dubai Government’s Customer Happiness Index, scoring 91.8 per cent and the DCCC is an important communication channel serving as a link between the Government Department and its partners and clients,” Behzad said.

Ahmed Mahboob Musabih recently received at his office K. Kalimuthu, Consul (Economic, Trade and Commerce) at the Consulate General of India in Dubai, to discuss means to enhancing cooperation and partnership. “India is a major trade partner of Dubai, and the emirate’s historic relationship which sets the growth in mutual trade as one of the strategic priorities that we work together to develop, and to help India gain more from the emirate’s central location and role as a leading hub for trade,” said Musabih. “We provide best facilities and customs services to Indian businesses which can also benefit from the advanced infrastructure and logistics.” “Dubai external trade is seeing more success, especially after the success of Expo 2020 Dubai, which helped introduce Dubai and its true potential, in overcoming the challenges including the COVID-19, to the world. During what has been a testing period, Dubai contributed to the smooth traffic of goods between the world’s regions, getting us closer to achieve the emirate’s milestone of reaching Dhs2 trillion in trade in the next five years,” he added.