Abu Dhabi government offers support for import and export firms amid Covid-19

Companies can email their concerns to the Department of Economic Development, which will assess what action to take

Abu Dhabi has rolled out a series of initiatives in recent weeks to help SMEs cope during the pandemic. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development rolled out a new programme to support import and export companies facing challenges during the Covid-19 crisis.

The department said it will liaise with affected companies to understand how the current global economic challenges are impeding their operations and then extend the appropriate support in line with relevant government and semi-government entities.

Rashed Al Balooshi, undersecretary of Added, said the new initiative will “help facilitate procedures during these trying times, further improve the efficiency of local export activities and address any logistical constraints causing higher export costs”.

He added that the special programme hopes to increase domestic export volume as well as attract new foreign investors to the emirate.

The department has rolled out a series of initiatives in recent weeks to help small to medium sized companies cope during the pandemic. Earlier this month, it implemented a new initiative encouraging SMEs to promote locally-made products, particularly healthcare supplies that could help to stop the spread of Covid-19. It also urged local and federal government entities to buy locally-produced supplies.

The initiative is aimed at boosting the use of locally-made products, while encouraging firms to sell them to government entities and in turn boosting the emirate’s gross domestic product, Mr Al Balooshi said.

The department is also working with local companies producing personal protective equipment, buying 250,000 surgical masks of a total of 1.1 million that are being supplied to federal and local governments.

Under the latest initiative to support import and export companies, Added said any companies with concerns, suggestions or proposed solutions linked to the pandemic can get in touch by emailing [e-mail]. A dedicated team will then study and analyse their proposals before forwarding them to decision-makers for appropriate actions.

Any export related concerns fall into two categories, according to Ghanim Al Mazrouei, the department’s executive director of international economic relations.

The first involves any external or international constraints imposed by countries on their borders or within their territories. These include tariffs or protection and anti-dumping duties imposed on imported goods to protect local industries from harmful trade practices. Other constraints include procedural challenges at entry points as well as in the distribution and marketing channels of the target country.

The second type involves logistical constraints linked to transportation, shipping, handling, storage and clearance costs or any other fees.

Mr Al Mazrouei added that the additional fees raise the cost of export operations and, consequently, can reduce a company's competitive edge.