Odisha plays crucial role in UAE-India tieup: Envoy

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has played a critical role in supporting the UAE-India bilateral partnership, said Abdulnasser Alshaali, the Ambassador of the UAE to India on Wednesday.

Abdulnasser was speaking at a business round-table meeting organised here on Wednesday by UAE-India CEPA (comprehensive economic partnership agreement) Council (UICC), in collaboration with the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

“Odisha has played a critical role in supporting the UAE-India bilateral partnership. Its highly developed minerals and industrial sector and strong human capital are of key interest to UAE investors. We are confident that today’s event will serve to ensure businesses in Odisha take advantage of a range of economic, trade and investment opportunities that have been offered through the signing of the CEPA,” he said.

Highlighting the rapid growth in Odisha’s total trade with the UAE, he said trade between the UAE and Odisha reached USD 2.63 billion in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, with Odisha constituting the UAE’s eighth-largest trading partner among India’s 28 States and eight Union territories.

“It is essential that we undertake all efforts to continue to build upon this constructive trading relationship and seek out new avenues for mutually beneficial growth. The UICC, in partnership with the ICC, is committed to supporting businesses in Odisha to achieve their international trade and investment ambitions,” he added.

Odisha is India’s largest producer of steel, stainless steel, ferroalloys, alumina and aluminium. The State holds a significant share of India’s reserves of nickel, bauxite, iron-ore and coal. Over recent years, constructive steps have been undertaken to develop deeper investment and trade collaboration between the UAE and India, he said.

In June 2022, several memoranda of understanding, valued at USD 2.76 billion, were signed between the Government of Odisha and UAE companies. Most notably, the Lulu Group committed to exploring opportunities to establish hypermarkets, shopping malls and agriculture and seafood processing hubs in the state, officials said.

Underlining the key role of the CEPA in strengthening economic ties between the UAE and India, trade between the two countries stood at 83.64 billion for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

The importance of the CEPA is exemplified by the substantial trade growth in specific sectors such as gems and jewellery, drugs and pharmaceuticals, and fruits and vegetables, which rose to 64 per cent, 39 per cent, and 35 per cent, respectively, over the 2023-24 fiscal year.