Muscat: Around 200 companies are coming to Oman for the ‘Made in Qatar’ exhibition to be held in November at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. A memorandum was signed between Oman and Qatar with Abdul Azeem bin Abbas al Bahrani, CEO of OCCI, representing Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Director-General Saleh Hamad al Sharqi, representing the Qatar Chamber, in the presence of Dr Salem al Junaibi, Vice-Chairman of OCCI. Speaking at the press conference held on Monday at OCCI, Saleh Hamad al Sharqi said the industrial sector in Qatar has seen a growth of 10 per cent.
He said that Oman is the first country to host ‘Made in Qatar’ exhibition. The food sector is expected to have the largest number of exhibitors in addition to petrochemicals and SMEs. According to the press statement, the trade between Oman and Qatar has grown 84 per cent in 2017. More than 150 Qatari institutions have invested RO 116 million in Oman. There are 186 companies in the Sultanate with 100 per cent Qatari capital and 146 Oman-Qatar joint ventures. Al Bahrani, CEO of OCCI, said that when it comes to trade balance between the two countries prior to June 2016, it was less than RO 500 million and now it is beyond RO 1 billion.
Alongside the exhibition, a forum is to be conducted to highlight on opportunities. Approximately 15 potential contracts in various fields are expected to be signed. Meanwhile, in October, Oman will be participating in an exhibition in Qatar along with 12 other countries. “We have strong relationship with all the Chambers of GCC countries and this is the latest from the Qatar Chamber. The exhibition in Qatar is an opportunity for all SMEs to introduce their products and enter Qatar market. OCCI is providing free space for about 70 Omani companies. We bought extra space to accommodate the companies,” said Al Bahrani.
According to the CEO of OCCI, the Omani exhibitors cover the spectrum of large, small and medium enterprises. “We had urged everybody to participate including home-based businesses. The response was so good that we could not accommodate everybody due to the limitation of space even after buying extra space.” Oman’s export to Qatar in 2017 consisted of live and slaughtered livestock, fresh and frozen fish, sugar, chocolate and confectionery and other food products containing cocoa, in addition to cereal and grain products, dairy products, honey, root vegetables, fruits and vegetables.
Other main imports have been ready-made buildings, marble and limestone as well as fluids and gases filtration devices. Also in the list of imports from Oman to Qatar are cosmetics and hair care products. Qatari exports to Oman in 2017 consisted of nitrogen, azot, mineral and chemical fertilisers, ethylene polymers, petroleum gases and hydrocarbon gases, iron and steel products, asphalt products, glass fiber products, pipes, tubes and hoses.
Lakshmi Kothaneth
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