Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade amounted to over $54.7 billion (AED201.2 billion) during 2020, a customs official told state news agency WAM in an interview on Monday.

Abu Dhabi Customs Director-General of General Administration Rashed Lahej al-Mansouri told WAM that the emirate was home to solid logistical infrastructure and advanced technologies to enhance trade both regionally and globally.

Of the $54.7 billion in non-oil foreign trade, the emirate’s ports distributed imports worth around $25.1 billion (AED92.5 billion) and exports with almost $20 billion (AED73.46 billion), he said.

He added that throughout 2020, Abu Dhabi Customs had completed over 1,093,144 digital customs transactions, an achievement which was in line with plans to automate customs services, processes and transactions.

Abu Dhabi managed to maintain diversity in its foreign trade operations, involving global and regional markets. Saudi Arabia was Abu Dhabi’s first trading partner, accounting for around $12.1 billion (AED44.43 billion).

Through the use of advanced devices to observe body language in an effort to detect prohibited narcotic substances, they were able to seize narcotic substances with weights of around 24,329.4 grams and pills 21,602.5 grams, compared to 78,307.35 grams of substances and 66,986.50 grams of narcotic pills seized in 2019.

Al-Mansouri stated that the government body plans to enhance its global leadership during 2021 with several pioneering development projects on the way, adding that it has also worked with the Federal Customs Authority to prepare the first unified customs plan at the federal level. It is also collaborating with the World Trade Organization and the World Customs Organization to ensure the best global practices are applied.