India is planning to set up a dedicated trade zone called ‘Bharat Park’ in the UAE to showcase its products and services at the upcoming Dubai Expo 2024, a global trade exhibition that will run from October 2024 to March 2025. The proposed trade zone will be located in Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), a world-class logistics hub operated by DP World, a leading global provider of end-to-end logistics solutions.
Boosting India-UAE Trade Relations
The ‘Bharat Park’ trade zone is expected to boost the bilateral trade relations between India and the UAE, which have witnessed a significant growth in recent years. According to the UAE Ministry of Economy, the non-oil trade volume between the two countries reached $50.5 billion in the first 12 months since signing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in February 2022, which aims to eliminate tariffs on more than 10,000 products and services over the next 10 years. The two nations are on track to meet the $100 billion non-petroleum trade target by 2030.
The ‘Bharat Park’ trade zone will also support India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, which seeks to promote domestic manufacturing, investments, and exports. Indian companies will be able to access new markets in the UAE, the Middle East, and Africa through Jafza, which connects directly to 150 ports and more than 180 shipping lanes. Jafza currently hosts over 800 Indian companies, which account for 4.4 million metric tonnes of trade volume and $6.5 billion of trade value.
Showcasing India’s Diversity and Innovation
The ‘Bharat Park’ trade zone will showcase India’s diversity and innovation across various sectors, such as food and beverages, manufacturing, healthcare, technology, tourism, and culture. The trade zone will feature state-of-the-art facilities, such as showrooms, warehouses, offices, meeting rooms, and event spaces. The trade zone will also leverage DP World’s digital platform CARGOES.com, which enables customers and exporters to book freight seamlessly, receive instant quotes online, and choose preferred modes of transport.
The ‘Bharat Park’ trade zone will be part of the Dubai Traders Market initiative, which aims to create a world-class traders’ market linked to Jafza. The initiative also includes Bharat Bazaar, a mega-distribution centre that will allow Indian traders to store, showcase, and sell their products to local and global customers from a single hybrid business platform for wholesale and retail.
The ‘Bharat Park’ trade zone is expected to attract millions of visitors from around the world during the Dubai Expo 2024, which will be held under the theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. The expo will feature pavilions from more than 190 countries and regions, as well as exhibitions, events, and activities that will highlight the latest innovations and solutions for sustainable development.