India emerges as ‘exceptionally reliable’ food security partner for Qatar

“India has proven to be an “exceptionally reliable partner” for Qatar’s food security by actively maintaining a policy that encourages outward trade and honours all export commitments to the Gulf region, despite heightened global logistical difficulties, a top retail industry leader has said. Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the ‘Mango Mania’ festival at LuLu Hypermarket Al Gharaffa, Dr Mohamed Althaf, director of LuLu Group-Global Operations & CSO, stated that while several nations have previously reacted to global supply chain pressures by imposing domestic restrictions to prevent supply depletion, Indian trade policies have remained steadfastly open to the Qatari market. “From our own policies, we are still encouraging exports to happen...even when faced with extraordinary logistical challenges, India refrained from imposing any export restrictions on essential items...our policy continued to encourage exports; India has fully honoured its export commitments to the Gulf region,” Dr Althaf emphasised, citing the impact of the US-Israel war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Indian ambassador Vipul emphasised that this policy stability underpins high-level diplomatic assurances exchanged during a recent virtual meeting between the Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs HE Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Sayed and India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. Commenting on the ministerial engagement, Vipul added: “Our minister affirmed that India would do everything within its capacity to maintain the seamless flow of supplies to Qatar.” During the virtual meeting held last month, al-Sayed and Goyal discussed the current situation in the region and the challenges it poses to the global economy and trade, particularly on global supply chains, according to a Qatar News Agency (QNA) report. Both officials also reviewed ways to enhance the resilience and sustainability of supply chains to ensure stability of global trade. They also discussed Qatar-India trade and investment cooperation and ways to enhance it further, QNA reported. According to Dr Althaf, the decision to press forward with the ‘Mango Mania’ festival showcase amidst prevailing international shipping frictions highlights the deep operational resilience characterising the established India-Qatar bilateral trade corridors. He added that Qatar-India commercial relationship undergoes continuous recalibration to successfully navigate emerging logistical challenges, describing both nation’s trade ties as a historical legacy deeply rooted in generational connections. In a speech, Sandeep Saha, assistant manager and regional head at India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), revealed that Qatar currently ranks as the seventh-largest global destination for Indian mango exports. He expressed strong optimism regarding the local market’s capacity, projecting a substantial and steady expansion in trade volumes moving forward. The state-backed export body indicated that its core market strength relies heavily on the widespread appreciation of diverse Indian agricultural varieties throughout the region. Saha stated that APEDA is actively collaborating with LuLu’s regional management to draft future trade strategies aimed at systematically scaling up the volume of fresh produce arriving on Qatari shelves.

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