DP World’s Bharat Mart to facilitate Indian exports
New marketplace is located in Jebel Ali Free Zone
Bharat Mart, a cutting-edge Dubai marketplace slated to open its doors in 2026, is poised to provide a world-class trading platform for Indian manufacturers and exporters to access global markets via Dubai.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, jointly laid the ceremonial foundation stone for the DP World project on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit 2024.
The foundation stone-laying ceremony, held in Dubai on February 14, 2024, was attended by prominent figures, including HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and key Indian dignitaries such as S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India; Ajit Doval KC, National Security Advisor of India; Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE, among others.
Mega distribution hub
Spanning 2.7 million square feet, with the first phase covering 1.3 million square feet, Bharat Mart is set to become a mega distribution hub for Indian businesses, enabling domestic trade in the UAE and re-exporting to regional and global markets.
Situated in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), it will be part of a broader trade ecosystem developed by DP World through the Dubai Traders Market, a hybrid retail and wholesale marketplace hosting traders worldwide.
Bharat Mart’s infrastructure will include 1,500 showrooms for retail and wholesale customers, over 700,000 square feet of Grade A warehousing space, light industrial units, office spaces, and meeting facilities.
Located 11km from Jebel Ali Port and 15km from Al Maktoum International Airport, the facility will ensure multimodal logistics solutions for Indian exporters.
Trade relationship
Dubai’s pivotal role in the trade relationship between the UAE and India was highlighted, with 87% or $44.9 billion of the total non-oil trade value of $51.4 billion flowing through the emirate in 2022.
Jafza, the home to 1,500 Indian businesses, was crucial in trading over five million metric tonnes of cargo valued at $8.6 billion.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chair and CEO of DP World said: “Bharat Mart will support the target of reaching $100 billion in non-oil bilateral trade by 2030, creating more opportunities for Indian manufacturers and contributing to [Indian] government initiatives like Make in India and D33.”
Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO and Managing Director of DP World GCC, highlighted India’s strategic importance as one of the UAE’s top five trade partners, accelerated by a post-pandemic economic surge. He expressed DP World’s commitment to fostering continued growth and positioning Bharat Mart as a key trade gateway.
Featured image: (L-R) Narendra Modi and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum participating in the foundation stone-laying ceremony for Bharat Mart on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit 2024 in Dubai. Image: DP World
