Trade between Dubai and India has increased 336 percent from 2.5 billion U.S. dollars to 10.9 billion dollars over the last five years, local daily Gulf News reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the total non-oil trade between India and Dubai, the second largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), hit 10.9 billion dollars in 2006.

India recorded 6.4 billion dollars of exports to Dubai and 4.5 billion dollars of imports from the emirate.

India has become a key economic partner of Dubai, and Indian companies have become more robust and confident in the wake of the country's rapid economic growth and are entering Dubai and the northern emirates in larger numbers, Indian Consul General to Dubai Venu Rajamony said.

Dubai is increasingly becoming an important transshipment point and logistics hub for Indian goods, the report said.

According to Dubai Customs, more than 80 percent of trade between India and the UAE is routed through Dubai, Rajamony said.

Source: Xinhua