The UAE's total trade in primary and secondary batteries in 2015 totalled $1.42 billion, 68.6 per cent of which is claimed by direct trade, while the UAE free-zone market accounted for 31.4 per cent thereof, a report said.

The country's foreign trade in batteries grew by 12.9 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014 as a result of a rise of 39.3 per cent in entrepot trade, 7.2 per cent in exports and 2.3 per cent in battery imports, the Emirates official news agency WAM reported, citing a recent study by the Ministry of the Economy.

The battery imports during 2015 hit around $838 million, while the exports were valued at $95 million during the same year, with the free-zone battery export market put at $4 million.

Batteries re-exported in 2015 amounted to $489 million while free zones' re-exported batteries stood at $145.4 million, according to the study.

The country's battery imports of car batteries mainly come from 10 countries, atop of which comes S Korea, followed by China and then Germany, while the Netherlands then Afghanistan and Iraq are the country's main dry-cell battery importers.