As demand for raw building materials continues to grow exponentially across the UAE, local reports have revealed that Dubai imported a record 2.960mn tons of cement for all of 2007 - an increase of 73.6% (1.256mn tons) over 2006.
Nassim Al Mehairi, acting head of the Dubai World's Statistics Department (DWSD), told one daily: "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."
Cement imports in 2007 were valued at around AED672mn (US$183mn), according to the DWSD and were worth AED374mn (U$102mn) in 2006. Al Mehairi predicted that: "Dubai's cement imports will continue growing at even higher rates in the coming years," due to planned major construction projects like the Dubai Metro. According to additional figures provided by DWSD, the vast majority of cement imported to Dubai in 2007 - nearly 2mn tons worth valued at AED399 million [US$109mn] - came from China. The remainder was accounted for by India, which exported 553,000 tons to Dubai, followed by Pakistan, Thailand, and Indonesia.
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