Souq Waqif exhibition draws more than just bees

The first Souq Waqif Exhibition for Honey and Dates got underway at Souq Waqif's Al Ahmad Square Sunday afternoon, continuing until March 11.
Khalid Saif al-Suwaidi, general superviser of the event, said the exhibition will be open to the public from 3.30pm to 9.30pm until Wednesday and from 3.30pm to 10pm from Thursday until Saturday.
He explained that the morning hours, announced earlier, were dropped due to the rising temperature.
The official stressed that the large numbers of visitors on the opening day strongly indicated the assured success and popularity of the event. He added that some countries are participating for the first time in such festivals in the country, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Algeria and Egypt.
He also noted that besides being a good opportunity for marketing these products for both local and international exhibitors, the exhibition is an excellent platform for the exchange of related experiences and ideas among the stakeholders that could help them improve their production and ways of displaying and packing their products, and reach out to new markets.
Al-Suwaidi said the exhibition has a testing laboratory for honey, set up in co-operation with the Ministry of Public Health, to determine the quality and purity of the honey exhibited. In addition, there will be a competition to select the best honey in two categories - local and international - and the winners will get excellent awards. Further, the exhibition has a special stall for apitherapy with specialists in the field from Oman, such as Dr Hassan Talib al-Lawati.
Dr al-Liwati explained that apitherapy is a branch of alternative medicine, in which honeybee products that include honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom are used to treat several ailments as a way to support conventional medicine.
He said while such treatment could be effective in some cases, patient are advised to continue to see their physicians, take the prescribed medicine and follow up on their health status through the usual medical checkups and tests.
Dr al-Liwati noted that his approach has been proven effective among many patients who need a full course of treatment, and some were able to achieve good results that helped them cut down on their regular medication.
The ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Qatar, Chyngyz Eshimbekov, took part in the opening of the exhibition alongside Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Economy Kojoshev Arzybek, who is currently visiting the country.
Ambassador Eshimbekov said four companies from Kyrgyzstan are taking part in the exhibition. He said his country has a special type of White Mountain honey that has excellent qualities and is considered unique as the bees that produce it often feed on the nectar of the herbs that grow on the top of mountains. He also noted that the exhibition is a good opportunity to encourage co-operation between Qatari and Kyrgyz companies, as his country is open to all foreign investors and Qatari investors are welcome in all fields there.
Gayth Taha, an exhibitor from Yemen, said the exhibition is excellent in all respects and enjoys a high level of organisation. He was keen to take part in it due to the good reputation enjoyed by the country and the potential of the local market.
Salem al-Kindi from Oman said this is his first participation in the Qatari market and stressed that he brought with him the best Omani varieties of wild honey that have special therapeutic effects. He also sees the exhibition as a good opportunity to expand business and explore new markets, as Doha has many people from around the world living here.
Saber Ahmed from Iran said he hopes the exhibition will help him introduce quality Iranian honey products to people from around the world to experience the special favours at reasonable prices.
The exhibition enjoys the participation of 160 farms and companies from 25 Arab, Asian and European countries – including Oman, Tunisia, Libya, Palestine and Georgia – displaying 50 types of honey and 50 varieties of dates. Some 31 Qatari companies that import honey are taking part, in addition to 26 local producers.