The mega Bharat Mart, a warehousing facility in the UAE, aims to provide Indian exporters a platform to showcase their products under one roof, just as Dragon Mart does for Chinese products. Set to be operational by 2025, the facility will cover an area of over 100,000sqm, serving as a multipurpose facility that combines warehouse, retail and hospitality spaces. The idea is to set up a base and do trading from the UAE.

As part of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), India and the UAE aim to double their non-oil trade target to $100 billion by 2030. The mart gains significance in this context. The facility is to be set up in Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), a DP World company.

“Bharat Mart is poised to become a mega-distribution hub to support the exports of made in India products to the world,” said Abdulla Al Hashmi, tChief Operating Officer of Parks and Zones at DP World GCC. He added that the move would prove beneficial for Indian firms seeking to broaden operations into Africa, Europe, and the US by decreasing both the time and expense associated with transporting goods between India and these nations.

Bharat Mart will encompass retail showrooms, warehouses, offices, and ancillary facilities, and will be designed to house a diverse range of goods, from perishable items to heavy machinery. A digital platform will help buyers across the world procure goods from the facility.

“Bharat Mart is poised to become a mega-distribution hub. The genesis of this project is that China has similar facilities there which are helping their exporters,” an official said.

Ajay Sahai, director-general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, stated that Bharat Mart will significantly help Indian exporters in displaying products to buyers not only in the Middle East, but also in Africa and Central Asia, who often travel to Dubai for their import requirements. Financing options and logistics facilities will help streamline the process. – Roopa Kurian is Associate Editor of Nrifocus.com