Finest Mangoes and Rare Litchi Now Headlining India Exports to UAE

If there’s one thing India knows how to do well, it’s making the world stop and take notice of its exports. In 2025, the spotlight is on the sun-ripened, finest mangoes and rare litchis that have found their way to UAE shelves.

Sweet? Yes. Strategic? Even more so. These luxury fruits are arriving alongside energy deals, pharmaceutical shipments, and textile consignments, signalling that India’s trade with the UAE is evolving.

But a bigger story is brewing beneath the headlines and the ceremonial photo-ops. With the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) maturing into its third year, the two nations are testing how deep and diversified their trade ties can get.

Sure, mangoes make for a feel-good headline, but they’re also part of a quiet shift: a push for India to strengthen its agricultural export brand while locking in more high-value trade opportunities. Will this be a breakout year for bilateral trade, or are we just getting a taste of what’s to come?

Sweet Success Mangoes and Litchi Boost India’s Agricultural Exports to UAE

Mangoes and litchis symbolise thriving trade relations between India and the UAE. The UAE is one of the most important destinations for India’s premium fruit exports, with demand peaking during Ramadan and festive periods.

India’s fruit and vegetable exports grew by 5.67% year-on-year in 2024–25, reaching USD 3.87 billion. Among the highlights was the successful export of litchis from Punjab, which is expected to open new opportunities for regional farmers and strengthen India’s standing in global fresh produce markets.

The successful export of Punjab’s litchis in 2025 is expected to open new doors for regional farmers while strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

This year, the UAE was India’s second-largest export destination, and India’s imports from the UAE continue to grow. Financial cooperation also supports these exchanges, with the Reserve Bank of India and the UAE’s Central Bank exploring mechanisms for settling trade in local currencies to make transactions faster and more efficient.

What Are the Major Export Categories From India to the UAE in 2025?

India exports to UAE in 2025 include a wide range of goods: petroleum products, gems and jewellery, premium food items like mangoes and litchi, textiles and garments, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and electronic equipment.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which slashed tariffs and expanded market access for multiple sectors, has boosted exports. According to Trading Economics, India exported over USD 37 billion worth of goods to the United Arab Emirates in 2024, setting the stage for further growth in 2025.

Why Are Petroleum Products a Key Part of India’s Exports to the UAE?

Petroleum products remain one of the largest categories in India–UAE bilateral trade. India’s strong refining capacity allows it to re-export oil and liquefied petroleum gas to the UAE, making energy a key sector in economic relations between the two countries.

While the UAE is a crude oil supplier, India’s advanced manufacturing units transform raw crude into high-value products for re-export.

How Important Is the Gems and Jewellery Sector in India-UAE Trade?

The gems and jewellery trade is worth billions annually and benefits from deep-rooted cultural relations. Under CEPA, tariffs on gold and precious ornaments were removed, allowing Indian products to reach UAE markets at competitive prices. This has strengthened trade routes and ensured a strong presence of Indian jewellers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

What Food and Agricultural Products Does India Export to the UAE?

In 2025, India exported various food items, alongside basmati rice, spices, and pulses. The UAE’s reliance on imported produce ensures Indian farmers have stable markets.

Seasonal shipments are aligned with demand surges in Ramadan and other festivals, cementing India and the UAE as strategic trade partners in agricultural goods.

How Significant Are Textiles and Garments in India’s Exports to the UAE?

Textiles and garments are a cornerstone of India–UAE relations. Thanks to CEPA, these traditional items enjoy zero tariffs, boosting economic development for MSMEs and sustaining manufacturing units in India. Demand spikes in the UAE’s fashion and hospitality industries keep orders flowing throughout the financial year.

What Engineering Goods Does India Supply to the UAE?

India’s engineering goods exports include machinery, machine parts, and equipment for construction and manufacturing. These exports serve the UAE’s infrastructure expansion and building materials needs, making engineering a growth-ready sector under the economic partnership agreement, CEPA.

Why Are Automobiles and Parts an Important Export Segment?

The UAE’s growing population and automotive market create strong demand for Indian cars, buses, and spare parts. Manufacturers like Tata Motors are increasing their footprint in the Gulf, aided by CEPA’s reduced barriers and enhanced business opportunities in the automotive sector.

What Role Do Organic Chemicals and Fertilisers Play in Trade Between the Two Nations?

Organic chemicals and fertilisers may not make headlines like the finest mangoes, but they are vital in sustaining the two nations’ economic relations. They supply UAE industries and agriculture while giving Indian producers a consistent export stream.

How Are Pharmaceuticals Contributing to India’s Exports to the UAE?

Pharmaceuticals have a strong presence in India’s export basket. With automatic registration under CEPA, Indian products exported, including generics and medical devices, enter the UAE market faster, meeting demand for high-quality, affordable healthcare products.

What Types of Electronic Goods Does India Export to the UAE?

India’s exports include smartphones, consumer electronics, and industrial equipment. The CEPA framework streamlines entry into the UAE retail and construction technology markets, ensuring steady growth in this segment.

The United States continues to be India’s leading export destination, accounting for 60.17% of total exports, followed by the UAE at 8.09%, China at 3.88%, the Netherlands at 2.68%, and Germany at 2.09%.

Commerce Ministry data for the April–June quarter of 2025–26 shows that the U.S., UAE, and China were the top three markets for India’s electronics sector, while the Netherlands and Germany also featured prominently among major destinations.

What Is the India-UAE Bilateral Investment Treaty Signed in 2024?

The UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner and second-biggest export market for Indian exports to the country. At the same time, India is the UAE’s second-biggest trading partner, buying more than US$63.42 billion worth of goods from the UAE.

Their trade covers various products, including petroleum, gems and jewellery, food and farm produce, textiles, chemicals, and engineering goods. This exchange spans a broad and resilient range of goods, from petroleum, gems, jewellery, food, and agricultural produce to textiles, chemicals, and engineering items.

Against this strong trade backdrop, investment cooperation has become a defining pillar of bilateral relations. The Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), signed in February 2024 and effective from 31 August 2024, is designed to protect and promote cross-border investments between the two countries.

Beyond legal protection, the treaty builds on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by deepening capital flows, encouraging joint ventures, and supporting manufacturing units in both markets.

The Indian government says this also supports the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority’s (ADIA) increasing investments in infrastructure, logistics, and technology. According to DPIIT data, the UAE is India’s seventh-largest investor, putting in US$22.848 billion between April 2000 and March 2025.

How Significant Is UAE Investment in India’s Economic Development?

UAE investment is key in India’s economic development, spanning energy, ports, logistics, and real estate. In 2024 alone, UAE entities invested billions into Indian manufacturing units, critical minerals projects, and renewable energy initiatives.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has been particularly active, injecting capital into Gift City fintech hubs and strategic infrastructure corridors.

These funds are not just about financial gain. They align with economic relations goals, expanding business opportunities for Indian SMEs, and strengthening trade routes that benefit the two nations. This level of investment also ties into broader defence cooperation and space exploration collaborations.

Why Does the UAE Play a Key Role as an Energy Partner for India?

The UAE is a crucial energy partner for India because it is a major crude oil supplier and an importer of Indian petroleum products. This dual dynamic keeps energy trade central to India–UAE bilateral trade.

While oil exports remain the backbone of cooperation, they have expanded into liquefied petroleum gas, renewable energy, and climate change mitigation projects. CEPA has made it easier for India’s crude and the UAE’s imports of refined fuels to flow with reduced tariffs.

High-level visits, such as those between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have reinforced energy as a foundation of India–UAE relations, ensuring stability in supply and paving the way for green energy transitions in the same year.

FAQs

1. What is the value of India’s exports to the UAE in 2025?

India’s merchandise exports to the UAE reached US$36.63 billion in FY 2024-25, marking a 30.6% increase from US$28.04 billion in FY 2021-22.

This strong growth reflects the significant impact of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Since CEPA took effect in May 2022, India–UAE bilateral trade has climbed to an impressive US$100.05 billion in FY 2025.

2. Why is CEPA important for India-UAE bilateral trade?

The CEPA is pivotal for India-UAE bilateral trade because it abolishes tariffs on over 80% of traded goods, streamlines investment rules, and expands service access.

This has enabled sectors such as gems and jewellery, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural produce to surge. Gems and jewellery exports alone rose from approximately US$4.9 billion to US$8 billion in FY 2024.

3. How does the local currency settlement system benefit two nations?

The local currency settlement system allows trade directly in rupees and dirhams, bypassing dollars. This reduces transaction costs, mitigates foreign exchange risk, expedites payments, and bolsters financial integration. Notably, the first crude oil payment under this system was conducted in August 2023 between ADNOC and Indian Oil Corporation.

Conclusion: Sweet Fruit, Sweeter Trade Prospects

2025 is a pivotal year for India-UAE bilateral trade, where the finest mangoes and rare litchi illuminate a broader symphony of sectors, from petroleum products and gems and jewellery to engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, and more.

Anchored by CEPA, bolstered by digital and infrastructure linkages, and driven by forward-looking economic strategies, India and the United Arab Emirates are scripting a narrative of growth, diversification, and strategic partnership.

At TradeDataPro, we go beyond the figures to reveal the forces shaping global markets. If the story of mangoes meeting oil tankers on the same shipping lanes intrigues you, you’ll enjoy our deep-dive analyses and data-driven insights.