DUBAI: The value of Dubai’s external pharmaceutical and medical supplies trade recorded a growth of 31 per cent to reach Dh6.8 billion during the first quarter of 2021, compared with Dh5.2 billion in the same period of 2020, according to the statistics released by the Dubai Customs.

Imports touched Dh5.3 billion, exports Dh590 million, while exports and re-exports amounted to Dh1.4 billion. In terms of volume, Dubai’s trade in pharmaceuticals and medical supplies went up 47 per cent from 33,000 tonnes to 48,600 tonnes in the first three months of 2020 and 2021, respectively.

The Dubai Customs is committed to streamlining border clearance of medical supplies shipments to ensure they rapidly reach local, regional and global markets without delay, after fulfilling the requirements of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, which guarantees high levels of quality and efficiency for these vital products to safeguard the community’s health and safety.

“[The] Dubai Customs has sought to keep pace with the growing demand for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies in [the] light of the current Covid-19 situation, putting more efforts to ensure quick inspection, clearance and release of these strategic goods to meet the community’s needs and maintain product availability in the market,” said Nassim Al Mehairi, manager of the statistics section at the Dubai Customs.

The recent statistics showed the pivotal role Dubai has been playing as a regional hub for trade in pharmaceutical and medical products, thanks to the industry’s sophisticated logistics infrastructure, she said.

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