UAE’s alumina imports from India to drop by 1% from the year ago, but from Indonesia to rise 8.4%

According to the global export-import data, the United Arab Emirates’ alumina imports from India is likely to drop marginally this year, in tandem with the current estimation of year-on-year decline in the UAE’s total imports of alumina. In 2019, the country’s alumina imports from India are estimated to come in at 607,085 tonnes, down 1 per cent year-on-year. The country’s total alumina imports are currently estimated to decline by about 4 per cent from 1.03 million tonnes in 2018 to 986,118 tonnes in 2019. But as far as the UAE’s alumina imports from Indonesia are concerned, the volume is estimated to grow this year by around 8.4 per cent to 296,168 tonnes.

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As the above graph shows, the United Arab Emirates’ alumina imports from India had even dropped in 2018 from 704,150 tonnes in 2017 to 612,724 tonnes, whereas the imports from Indonesia had risen from 182,161 tonnes in 2017 to 273,058 tonnes. However, despite the year-on-year growth in the UAE’s alumina imports from Indonesia, India remained the leading supplier over the years.

The estimated decline in the UAE’s alumina imports could be attributed to the commencement of the domestic production at EGA’s Al Taweelah refinery.  EGA reports Al Taweelah alumina refinery is expected to produce some two million tonnes of alumina per year, replacing some imports and securing EGA’s competitive supply of this raw material.

Emirates Global Aluminium, popularly known as EGA, is the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas sector. In 2018, the company alone smelted 2.64 million tonnes, besting the prior year’s record by 40,000 metric tons and cementing its place as the world’s third-biggest producer of aluminium outside the People’s Republic of China.