Furniture tops list of Turkish exports to Qatar in 2022, says Turkish Exporters’ Assembly

Furniture has topped the list of Turkiye’s export products to Qatar in 2022, according to data from the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM).
Aside from furniture, which was valued at $177.2mn in 2022, Turkiye’s top 10 exports to Qatar last year include electrical products ($123.6mn), fisheries and meat ($123.5mn), chemicals ($119.6mn), iron and other metals ($94.1mn), apparel ($84.9mn), pulses and grain ($70.2mn), steel ($55.4mn), machinery ($48.7mn), and HVAC ($41.1mn).
This year, Deniz Kutlu, managing partner of Turkish firm Shedu Consulting, is anticipating that there would be other industries aside from furniture that would witness growth in terms of Turkiye-Qatar trade ties.
“Together with the services industry, I believe furniture, along with construction materials, defence, and the consumer goods industries will grow faster than other industries,” Kutlu told Gulf Times in a statement.
He said: “Furniture has led Turkiye’s exports to Qatar. Since 2015, Shedu Consulting has organised several furniture B2B events in Qatar, and I believe that even after World Cup, furniture will still be one of the top exports of Turkiye in the Qatari market.”
Asked how the 2022 FIFA World Cup played a role in the increase in Turkish exports to Qatar, Kutlu noted that the tournament had a positive impact not only on Turkish exports but on all other countries, as well.
“But I think Qatar itself has been the country that had enjoyed most of the benefits from organising a global scale event. Before the World Cup, the Qatari government made huge investments in both infrastructure and superstructure. The World Cup is over but Qatar’s investments will last for decades.
“The tournament itself was very well-organised and it contributed a lot to Qatar’s reputation across the world. This may have a positive impact on the eyes of potential foreign investors and may help the Qatari government to attract FDI in the near future, which in turn may positively impact Turkiye and Qatar’s bilateral trade,” Kutlu explained.
Kutlu stated that Shedu Consulting has two trade delegations to Qatar in the pipeline. He said the first delegation representing the natural stone industry is slated to explore Qatar’s investment climate in the first half of the year, while another delegation from the furniture sector will be in the country by H2 2023.
“We usually focus on consumer and industrial goods. However, we would definitely consider organising trade delegations from the sports and tourism industries, as well. Qatar, which made history by hosting the FIFA World Cup, is home to one of the top global sports channels, beIN Sports, and I am quite sure these sectors will help attract more delegation visits to Qatar,” Kutlu added.