Zahra Habib
Customs duties play an important role in regulating global trade movement, as they affect the costs of import and export between countries. In this context, Bahrain’s aluminum exports as a vital sectors in international trade are considered to be one of the 10 largest aluminum producing countries in 2024, as the value of Bahraini exports of aluminum and minerals to the United States amounted to about 25 million dinars during the month of January.
Bahrain and the United States are linked to the 2004 free trade agreement, which has been applied since 2006, which has strengthened trade exchange between the two countries by canceling or reducing customs duties on many commodities, including aluminum, which represents one of the most important Bahraini exports to the American market.
Among the most prominent exports of Bahrain from aluminum and minerals last January to the United States: raw aluminum scourge with a value of 7.6 million dinars, and flat panels and panels of aluminum mixtures with different thicknesses of 4.1 million dinars, and aluminum electric wires with a steel heart of 1.2 million dinars.
Exports are also represented in the wires of aluminum that are not mixed with 3.7 million dinars, panels and plates of turline polyethylene at 1.4 million dinars, for the aspect of “Amras” wires and cables of aluminum, which is not electrically insulated with 345.3 thousand dinars, and copper tubes at 211.2 thousand dinars.
While Bahrain’s exports of raw aluminum are not mixed with various countries, 7 million dinars, where the Netherlands came in the lead with two million dinars, followed by Italy with 1.9 million dinars, Bulgaria with a value of one million dinars, Spain with a value of 655 thousand dinars, Greece 806.6 thousand dinars, and South Korea with 543.4 thousand dinars, Albania with 102.1 thousand dinars and the Sultanate of Oman with 14.5 thousand dinars.
Stable customs policies contribute to supporting exports and enhancing the competitiveness of products in global markets. With the free trade agreement, Bahraini products, especially aluminum, have preferential benefits that support the growth of the industrial sector and expand export markets.
In light of global trade developments, monitoring customs policies remains important to maintain the competitiveness of Bahraini exports and enhance their position in international markets.
It is noteworthy that Bahrain’s aluminum production in 2024 amounted to 1.6 million metric tons, while the production of international aluminum increased to 72 million metric tons compared to 70 million metric tons in 2023.
The aluminum sector is one of the largest sources of export revenues in Bahrain, especially to the United States of America and a number of countries in the world, and the revenue value reached 3 billion dollars in 2023.
