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India-Middle East bilateral trade exceeded USD 160 Billion (FY2024) — the largest regional bilateral corridor for India globally.
| Rank | Sector | Value | Key Products / Buyers | Commercial Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Products (Refined) | USD 25B | Refined petroleum re-exported from Indian refineries. UAE and Saudi Arabia are primary buyers. Reliance and HPCL major suppliers. | High volume, low margin. India refines Gulf crude and re-exports refined products — a circular trade. |
| 2 | Engineering Goods | USD 18B | Machinery, electrical equipment, industrial goods. Saudi Vision 2030 and UAE construction drive demand. L&T, Thermax, BHEL active suppliers. | Vision 2030 creates multi-decade demand. Indian engineering competitive on price vs. EU alternatives. |
| 3 | Food & Agricultural Products | USD 12B | Basmati rice, spices, meat (halal), frozen vegetables, sugar. Indian food dominates GCC Indian expatriate (8M+) consumption. | Indian food has structural competitive advantage: proximity, halal certification, diaspora demand. |
| 4 | Pharmaceuticals | USD 8B | Indian generics supply 35-45% of GCC private hospital formularies. Dubai Healthcare City is the distribution hub. | Growing healthcare spend across GCC. Vision 2030 healthcare expansion drives demand. |
| 5 | Textiles & Apparel | USD 7B | Garments and fabric for GCC retail (international brands and local). Indian apparel competes with Bangladesh in GCC market at 5% CET. | India-UAE CEPA: zero duty for Indian textiles to UAE. India-GCC FTA will extend this to all 6 members. |
| 6 | Gems & Jewellery | USD 6B | Polished diamonds, gold jewellery. Dubai is global diamond trading hub — India cuts and Dubai trades. DMCC is the platform. | India-UAE CEPA has specific diamond and gold provisions. DMCC membership enables better market access. |
| 7 | Chemicals & Plastics | USD 5B | Specialty chemicals, plastics, paints, adhesives. GCC industrial sector demand growing with Vision 2030 diversification. | 5% GCC CET applies — India-GCC FTA will eliminate this, improving competitiveness vs. EU suppliers. |
| 8 | IT & Digital Services | USD 4B | Indian IT companies serving UAE banking (Emirates NBD, FAB), Saudi ARAMCO, and GCC government digital transformation. | High growth segment. ARAMCO digital transformation alone is USD 2B+ programme. Strong India IT supply. |
| Rank | Sector | Value | Key Origins / Suppliers | Commercial Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crude Oil & LNG | USD 75B | Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, Qatar Energy supply bulk of Indian crude import needs. India imports ~5M barrels/day. | Energy security — non-negotiable import regardless of FTA. Long-term supply contracts (20-25 years). |
| 2 | LPG & Natural Gas | USD 8B | Cooking gas for Indian households. Saudi Arabia and UAE primary LPG suppliers. | Growing as India transitions from coal to LPG cooking. ADNOC and Saudi Aramco long-term supply. |
| 3 | Fertilisers & Petrochemicals | USD 6B | Urea, DAP, potash from SABIC, OQ, and QAFCO. India's agricultural sector depends on GCC fertiliser supply. | Critical agricultural input. India is world's largest fertiliser importer. |
| 4 | Gold & Precious Metals | USD 5B | UAE gold imports to India. Dubai re-exports gold from Africa and South America through India. | Dubai-India gold corridor is one of the world's highest-value per-weight trade flows. |
| 5 | Plastics & Polymers | USD 4B | SABIC and BOROUGE polymers imported for Indian plastics manufacturing. | India is world's 3rd largest plastics consumer. GCC has competitive feedstock advantage. |
| 6 | Aluminium Products | USD 3B | DUBAL (Dubai), Ma'aden (Saudi Arabia) aluminium for Indian manufacturing. Growing with Indian EV sector. | India aluminium demand growing 8%+/year. GCC has lowest-cost smelting globally (cheap energy). |
Mandatory product conformity certification for most goods entering Saudi Arabia. Pre-shipment product certificates required. Check at portal.saber.org.sa before shipment to Saudi Arabia.
Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology — UAE product certification body. Product registration required for electronics, toys, PPE, and other regulated categories.
Mandatory or strongly preferred for food, pharma, cosmetics, and some medical devices entering GCC markets. Recognised bodies: MUI (Indonesia), JAKIM (Malaysia), HDC, ESMA-approved certifiers.
5% common external tariff on most manufactured goods not covered by bilateral FTA. India-UAE CEPA reduces this to zero for UAE. India-GCC FTA will extend to all members.
Saudi Food and Drug Authority — mandatory registration for food, pharma, cosmetics, medical devices entering Saudi Arabia. Registration process: 6-18 months depending on category.
Dubai Health Authority / Ministry of Health and Prevention registration for pharma, medical devices, and health supplements. Required before goods can enter Dubai Healthcare City distribution network.
| Mandate | Commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Engineering for Vision 2030 | 3-5% of contract value | L&T, Afcons, Shapoorji, Tata Projects. NEOM, Diriyah Gate, Red Sea Project — all have active Indian contractor roles. |
| Indian Pharma to GCC private hospitals | 3-5% annual supply contract | DHA/SFDA/MOH registration. 35-45% of GCC formularies are Indian generics. Al Dawaa, Nahdi, Aster distribution. |
| Indian Food to GCC retail (Indian diaspora) | 3-5% CIF | Basmati, spices, halal food. Lulu Hypermarket, Carrefour GCC, Danube. India-UAE CEPA zero duty. |
| Indian IT to ARAMCO and ADNOC | 10-14% Y1 contract | SAP, Oracle, cybersecurity, digital transformation. ARAMCO digital programme USD 2B+. ADNOC digital USD 1B+. |
| Indian Gems/Jewellery via DMCC Dubai | 1.5-2.5% deal value | Diamond trade facilitation. DMCC membership. India cuts, Dubai prices, EU/USA buys. |
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