Indian businessmen in the Gulf on Monday expressed disappointment over the budget which proposed a hike in customs duty on gold and silver.

They also said the budget presented by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee did not offer any incentives for the non-resident Indians.

"There was no mention of NRIs in the Budget and that is disappointing," Navin Kapoor, Xpertize United Managing Director and a board member of Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) said.

Kapoor said the Gulf businessmen engaged in gold and silver trade will not welcome the hike in customs duty on gold and silver.

Terming the Budget as "lacklustre", IBPC President Paras Shahdapuri said, "There is nothing extremely exciting about the Budget."

He said agriculture had been given support which was good, "but infrastructure hasn’t been given enough attention even as fiscal deficit remains a matter of anxiety."

The businessmen also expressed their disappointment over the "lack of focus" on infrastructure. Infrastructure development would have provided huge opportunities for Gulf companies engaged in the construction sector, Shahdapuri said.